The Streak Continues: C8 Corvette Remains Undefeated, Named to Car and Driver’s 10Best Again!

For the fifth time in its five-year production run, the Eighth-Generation Corvette has been named one of the 10Best Cars on sale by Car and Driver. This is the automotive equivalent of making the All-NBA first team; it’s a big deal, and we certainly hope that the Corvette team has some performance incentives baked into their contract for times like these! C&D’s calls 10Best their “ultimate comparison test.” To make it happen, they wrangle every new or significantly updated car on the market under their $110,000 price cap. Unlike the similar test that their California-based competitor runs, Car and Driver also allows the winners from the previous year to tag along and try to defend their respective titles against even fresher metal.

Last year, the Stingray and the all-new Z06 were awarded, following a three-peat from the Stingray between 2020-22. This year, with the Z06’s base MSRP swelling past the 10Best price ceiling, it fell back to the Stingray and the newly-minted E-Ray to keep the Crossed Flags badge riding high, and both answered the bell! 2024 marks the 25th time that America’s Sports Car has made the prestigious 41-year-old list, bringing its batting average up to a scintillating .610 (besting Ted Williams and Ty Cobb in our non-scientific sport-to-car comparison by .266 and .244, respectively).

The 25th victory is good for second place all-time behind the now-38-time-winning Honda Accord. Unfortunately for Corvette fans, sole possession of second place still eludes our favorite car as Porsche’s mid-engine Boxter/Cayman twins are also sitting at one-quarter of 100 after the release of the ’24 list. The Corvette’s inclusion, along with the Trax on the SUV/Truck side (Ready to be confused? All historic numbers include the separate 5-Best trucks list that lasted from 2001-08. That was then expanded upon starting in 2017, with the inclusion of a non-car Top-10 that was again shelved between ’20-’22 only to return last year), earned Chevrolet it’s 38th and 39th 10Best awards. That moves the Bowtie into 4th place all-time, passing BMW for manufacturers with the most nods in the event’s history after the Bavarians failed to medal this year while their bread-and-butter 3-Series remains stalled at 23 career wins – a number it’s been stuck on since 2014. As the Corvette continues to propel Chevy up the record books, it sets its sights on cross-town rival Ford. The Blue Oval currently lays claim to third place all-time after the Maverick small truck bumped the Blue Oval up to 44 historical honors this year.

Of the Corvette family’s enigmatic newcomer, C&D says: “Chevrolet has delivered a new hit: the hybrid-powered, all-wheel-drive, $106,595 Corvette E-Ray. Put down the pitchfork and step away from the keyboard—the 655-hp E-Ray’s electrified front axle and mid-mounted 6.2-liter V-8 powertrain aren’t really about green energy. The E-Ray can operate in electric-only mode for very short periods at very low speeds, and only if the driver has chosen to do so before starting the car. Once the battery depletes or speed exceeds 45 mph, there’s no going back to EV mode. It’s all glorious V-8 with electric assist. The E-Ray also blasts to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, making it the quickest Corvette we’ve tested. Feel better now?”

The base model earned its own praise, too, with Car and Driver editors assuring buyers, “the entry-level Stingray…still turns heads. Specify the targa or convertible with the Z51 package’s performance goodies (summer tires, 5-hp bump, brake and suspension upgrades, and more), and 60 mph is yours in under 3.0 seconds, over 1.0 g of lateral grip is at the ready, and stops from 70 mph require less than 150 feet. For the money, there isn’t another production car in the world that achieves these feats,” while both models earned merits for comfort, livability, and their “simply brilliant” ride quality.

The Corvette(s), Accord, and Cayman are joined on this year’s list by the Lucid Air Pure, the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86 platform-mates, the new Prius, and Acura’s Integra Type S, aka the “grown up” version of the acclaimed but juvenile-looking Civic Type R that also earned inclusion for a second-straight year. If you’re counting, that makes eight of the more important car awards. The final two slots went to the ‘Vette’s four-door brethren from Cadillac, with the CT4-V Blackwing and the LT4-powered CT5-V Blackwing earing their third-consecutive titles. We believe congratulations are in order for the Corvette team, GM’s entire Performance wing, and even the parent company at large; enjoy this moment, guys – and be sure to take note of the kind of products you all are the best in the industry at building!

Source:
Car and Driver

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