2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible gets a hardtop design

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette adds to the sports car community many highly significant firsts. This is the first' Vette to feature a mid-engine configuration, the first to use the dual-engine transmission and now the first one to use the power-folding hardtop with the launch of the 2020 Corvette Convertible on Wednesday.

Up to now, the only roofs for Corvette convertible models have been soft tops. But the C8's change to a hardtop has excellent benefits, like a quieter cockpit, better security than a ragtop (no cut-off here), and a cleaner look. Both vehicles are wrapped in a body-colored roof, but Chevy allows customers a carbon flash top to appear two-tone.

For six electric motors, the composite hardtop that can be lowered at speeds of up to 30 mph takes 16 seconds. According to Chevrolet, the top electrical system also replaces the hydraulic unit used in the previous Corvette convertibles for improved reliability.

When packed, the top is positioned under the tonneau cover with a cooling engine and aero-optimized nacelles, the latter supposedly inspired by jet engine housing. Chevy says that the nacelles are quite wide to reduce the air circulating in the cabin. The rear control window can be moved up and down with the top and down to further reduce cabin wind buffets at speed.

Despite the compromises typically involving convertibles, designers made every effort to keep them to a minimum. The trunk can still hold two golf clubs with its top-down, from a practical point of view, and the "frunk" is still capable of holding a TSA licensed carry-on and a laptop bag.

Concerning reliability, the Corvette's chassis was designed from the start to fit the convertible body style, so there are no problems with structural rigidity. The Corvette convertible has the same drag coefficient as the cut according to Chevrolet— the rear and the spoiler of the Z51 kit are anyway set. Nevertheless, the suspension springs and the dampers have adjusted to accommodate the approximately 80 pounds additional weight of the convertible.

As with the coupe, the Corvette convertible is powered by a 6.2-liter LT2 V8 engine. When an optional exhaust system is installed, the naturally suctioned power station produces 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. The production numbers fall to 490 hp and 465 lb-ft without exhaust. The engine then works on the Tremec as mentioned earlier, eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the only gearbox on the C8 Corvette available. Sorry, fans of the manual.

The8-inch touchscreen control system Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Plus is standard for control features, including the Bose 10 Speaker, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 4 G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and Bluetooth connectivity. Audiophiles can also fit a Bose Performance Series audio system with a 14-speaker punchier.

The 2020 convertible Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is expected to enter production at the start of next year and will be sold in 1LT, 2LT, and 3LT trims. The right-hand-drive models of the convertible come a bit later for selected international markets. Here in the United States, the base 1LT will launch at $67,495, which is a premium of $7,500 over the starting price of the Corvette coupe tier of $59,995.