Corvette E-Ray

THIS eighth generation of the Corvette has moved into the 2020s in a form that's almost unrecognisable compared with its ancestors.

- Alex Ingram

That's because it's the first that has ditched the front-engined layout it has used since the fifties in favour of a mid-mounted setup. This was a change brought about by Corvette's continued commitment to endurance motorsport.

But the changes don't end there, because now there's the E-Ray, a Corvette with hybrid power. However, this is not a hybrid intended to delicately sip fuel, but one designed to make an already quick car even more so. Indeed, the E-Ray is the fastest-accelerating model in the current range.

The 6.2-litre LT2 V8 engine sends its 475bhp and 613Nm exclusively to the rear wheels. The electric motor up front adds a further 160bhp and 165Nm for a total output of 635bhp, and of course endows the car with four-wheel drive. As a result, the E-Ray dispatches the 0-62mph dash in just 2.9 seconds, and the car's top speed is 180mph.

Our time behind the wheel wasn't exactly the typical Corvette environment, though; less 'sunny Sebring' and more 'drizzly Kettering'. Which, if anything, made us appreciate the extra security of the electrically driven front axle even more. In fact, our very first experience of the E-Ray was in pure-electric form; Stealth Mode allows the car to move away in silence, using the energy from the 1.9kWh battery that runs down the spine of the chassis.