Loose Ends

Miscellaneous Corvette Factoids

By Paul Pollock
Publisher, The Corvette Story

2022 Corvette C8 Right Hand Drive Interior

One of the more interesting surprises at the C8 introduction on July 18, 2019 was that there would be a right hand drive Corvette available direct from the factory.

While a few Corvettes have been modified for right hand drive by individuals (at considerable expense), no Corvettes have left their factory so equipped. That changed with the C8 and now customers in Japan, Australia, New Zealand will be able to purchase a Corvette in a (for them) much more desirable right hook version.

There will be a premium however; prices will be higher - in the case of Japan, the tab is ¥14.000.000 or around $122,533 for a 3LT model, depending on the exchange rate.

Part of the reason behind a RHD Corvette was the Ford Mustang, which made a right hand drive version starting in 2015 which was wildly successful. As with the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, corporate egos (and profits) are powerful things and GM did not want to be shut out of the party.

United Kingdom View of the C8 Corvette

It's always interesting to see how other car cultures view the C8 and the Pistonheads.com reviewer Jay Emm asks the question: "Is The Right Hand Drive C8 Chevrolet Corvette's UK Release Already Doomed?"

Speaking of Right Hand Drive, I've always liked seeing Corvettes in other countries, it sorta adds a new dimension to the Corvette story.

While not right hand drive, the photos below are from the French introduction of the 1990 ZR-1. More photos can be seen here.

Sprichst du Deutsch?

(Do you speak in German?)

Photos are from a GM Germany photo shoot. Notice the Driver Information Center content in German! You can see the photos (all 216 of them!) here.

This was a Japan photo shoot, snagged from media.gm.com. The complete set of photos can be seen here.

Above is a classic fish (Corvette?) out of water story: A 1957 283/283 fuel injected Corvette currently located in Tokyo, Japan!

The photo and story was passed on to us by it's owner Matt Sweeny.

Some notes from Matt on owning '57 Corvette in Japan:

First of all, US imports pretty rare in general since there is a very strong Japanese auto market and most everyone drives domestic cars…big exception is German luxury cars Secondly, it is a pretty rare car in general and I am almost certain that it is the only 57 fuelie in Japan…and might be one of 2-3 total ‘57s

Regularly take car to my local coffee shop and every once in a while drive it to the office (in the middle of downtown Tokyo); have also taken it to unofficial car show (you may have heard of these “parking lot” car shows)

Most common question I get is “what kind of car is that”; car people also very interested in the process for importing car from US to Japan; finally people really fascinated with the old license plates (technically a bit gray area but I leave the original ’57 Michigan plate on the front and the Japan plate on the back)

While at the Z06 introduction at the Petersen Museum on October 26, 2021, Dustin Gardner (Assistant Chief Engineer, LT6 Engine) was on hand to discuss the finer points of the LT6 engine and it's development. At about the 3:40 point, your author asks Dustin about the top speed of the Z06. He replies "There has not been a top speed yet" I push the subject a bit with "If you were a betting man?" He replies "I'm not a betting man. This is what I do for a living. I want to keep doing this." For Dustin to address the subject could get him in trouble with his bosses, but I had to ask!

Is a modern Corvette without an Easter egg still a Corvette?

Maybe not as it seems to be the trend in recent years. For the Z06 LT6 engine, a rocket was embossed on the front of the LT6, meaning that it cannot be seen unless the engine is removed which is unfortunate. The backstory here is that the working moniker for the LT6 during its development was Gemini, owing to its two camshafts, two throttle bodies and two fuel pumps. Gemini was also the name of the two astronaut space capsule that preceded the Apollo three astronaut capsule.

According to one source, the LT6 engines installed in the Corvette Z06 will be individually dyno tested (including a 20 minute run-in) before installation. It is doubtful however that the data will be available to owners.

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