Corvette Stingray Wins Business Insider’s Inaugural Car of the Year Award

The new Corvette Stingray has captured a lot of awards since Chevrolet introduced it in 2013.

But here comes a first. The 2015 Stingray has just captured an award that no other Corvette – well, no other car ever, for that matter – has won because it’s the first time Business Insider has named a Car of the Year.

The business-oriented website was apparently so blown away by the seventh-generation Corvette that it started a new award, or at least we Stingray enthusiasts can say that anyway.

“The bottom line is that we wanted our first-ever Car of the Year to be an amazing machine when it comes to the nuts-and-bolts part of the story,” said Business Insider’s Matthew Debord and Ben Zhang. “It had to look cool and be a blast to drive. And because Business Insider is, after all, a business publication, we decided that the COTY should be significant for the auto industry — it couldn’t be a niche product that appeals only to enthusiasts with millions to spend on exotic hypercars.”

So here’s the judging breakdown.

The Corvette, as expected, drew praise for its bang for the buck and its much-improved interior, described as “modern, fairly luxurious, and yet purposeful.”

But it was the exterior and the monster that lurks under the hood that drew the most praise.

The styling was described as “truly remarkable.”

“From the angular front end to the square rear taillights, the car’s designers decided to take a bold detour from the curvy Corvettes of the past, without completely doing away with what people expect a Vette to look like. The new car is a respectful homage to the Stingrays of the early 1960s, and the overall effect is absolutely stunning. This is the boldest Corvette…possibly ever,” the website said.

The power from the 6.2-liter, 460hp LT1 V8 had the magazine drooling. “You just can’t get this much speed for this nice a price anywhere else on planet Earth. In fact, the Corvette’s equivalent cost-wise from Porsche — the 430 horsepower, 190-mph 911 GTS — starts at $115,000. That’s two Corvettes. And a pleasant Caribbean vacation,” they said.

Indeed, it was the subjective “fun factor” that may have won the judges over.

“When we drove it, we didn’t want to stop driving it,” the magazine concluded. “It made us dream the dream of racetracks, as well. If you want an American Ferrari, this is your car. And with the price difference, you can do ahead and really enjoy your midlife crisis.”

Source:
Business Insider

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