2020 Corvette vs 2014-2019: C8 vs C7 differences compared side by side

Hyperbole time: The 2020 Corvette is the biggest change in the car’s history with the shift to a midengine layout. See just how much the C7 and C8 differ.

Despite the change in engine layout, Chevrolet has tried to carry over as many design elements as possible from the C7 (and earlier) to the C8.

The adoption of a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout is clearest side on. The long, flat bonnet is gone, replaced by the usually stubby nose of a mid-engine car. Where the passengers once used to sit right in front of the rear axle, the cabin has now adopted an extreme cab forward position, and the rear deck is much, much longer than before.

Chevy's designers have flipped the C7's glossy black plastic front fender vent and placed ahead of the rear wheels to feed air into the mid-engine V8.

In the C7, the V8 engine lived under a vented bonnet, but in the C8 it's visible through a window. At launch the C7 Stingray had a 6.2L LT1 V8 with 455hp (339kW) and 460 lb-ft (624Nm), the C8 Stingray's 6.2L V8 has 495hp (369kW) and 470 lb-ft (637Nm).

All of the C8's highlights are sharp, but not too sharp. It's not a Lamborghini, after all.

The C7 had an eye-catching four exhaust tips all lined up next to another. With the C8, they've been moved apart thanks to the mid-engine setup.

If there's been one universal criticism of the Corvette, it's that its interiors have not been, uhh, very good. The new C8 seeks to rectify this, and brings it up to European standards. If you squint, the basic design is the same as before, but the execution is a world apart with lots of real leather and metal.

The dashboard divider now houses a single row of buttons for the climate control system. That's, uh, very new and unique.

Grippy front seats are always a part of the equation. The 2014 C7 Stingray had a 0-60mph time of 3.8 seconds, while the Z51 version of the C8 will bring that in under 3 seconds.

The C8 features a new two-spoke flat bottom steering wheel, a new high resolution infotainment system, and a fully digital instrumentation panel.

Chevrolet was criticised with the C7 for ditching the classic circular afterburner tail-lights for angled rectangular set. The C8 doubles down on this transition, and it's probably the least appealing part of the entire car's design.

For the first time, the base Corvette isn't available with a manual transmission: it's an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission or nothing. Rumour has it later variants, with higher levels of performance, may be available with a manual. The 2014 C7 Stingray was available with a 7-speed manual or 6-speed auto.

For the C8, Chevrolet redesigned the Corvette's flag design. Like everything else with the C8, it's sharper than before. Like on the C7, the base C8 is known as the Stingray.