So the Corvette. Originally American, this reference should not be missing in any article about the athlete. Still with a classic V8 engine under the long hood - and here, too, no article about the Corvette should be without reference to its simple mechanics. And the now 6.162 cc V8 is really still a simple engine. 8 pots, a lot of displacement, after all made entirely of aluminum, with only two valves per cylinder. The valve train is still operated via a centrally located camshaft. Despite direct petrol injection and cylinder deactivation, the other fun devices of the seem really impressed # radical14 from the technology of the Corvette not to be. Turbo charging here, compressor there, high-revving boxer there, V8-Wumme from Italy on the other side and and and ... there is the classic small block more resonance body than athlete drive. Or?

#radical14 - The weapon of choice for Switzerland?

Corvette C7 Stingray

Switzerland makes it easy for one, the Loving Corvette. Eggs on the country roads in seventh gear at the speed of a ship's diesel? Can the Corvette. Strolling through the torque range of the naturally aspirated V8 manually switched? Is also possible. But what is really surprising is the performance that the US boy shakes out of the drive train and the still leaf-sprung rear axle at the blink of an eye. If it goes according to the basic layout, then the long hood, the V8 block behind the front axle and the wide rear end should actually only be intended for cruising on the highway, but far away. Ironically, the US legend clicks its way into the heart of the driver with a surge in speed and a twitch around the turns of Swiss mountain passes. Quaintly wide, but easy to see. There you can see the ”Vette” (Corse form for Corvette and may also be missing in any article) also on a ride towards Take the Furka Pass. Of course, seven hand-stirred aisles are practical, but in practice only three are needed on the way to the summit. Numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7 are translated too long to show the wild pack of German, Italian and English sports cars on the hunt to the top of the pass that the Corvette's hips are ready to mate. Whereby the colleague from England, a fabulously beautiful F-Type Coupé, is the slowest due to its performance. In contrast to the US boy who has matured and cultured over generations, the Englishman can hardly roll straight out of his supercharged V8 because of all the power. More than the US classic, the sexy F-Type urges you to take it easy. There is then also 466 HP on the rear axle, without charging, sniffed through the intake funnel, more helpful and more effective than the pure “big balls power” of the Jaguar.

In the end, the successful fleet hunt in the Corvette has been but also work and the merit of a respectably working driver. Exact driving also rewards the Corvette. Of course you can feel the weight. Of course you have to act sensitively with the right foot. If now the Corvette can drive faster and finer dosed than the rude Englishman with his drinker problem, so the US boy remains a roughly carved comrade. The seats a bit too soft, a little too far (okay, not for me, but in general), the plastic a little too much plastic and the faucets a little too playful. But for this sound, this rustic, this adult-sounding rumble. Where the Ferrari 458 speciale screaming through the scale, somehow so juvenile, screeching. Just like a penal after the first Ramazotti drink, the Corvette hammers the coarse mating call of American lumberjacks into the world after a Jack Daniels breakfast. Man does not suck. All power to the cubic capacity. The message comes, especially since the rear axle is a hoard of posture and reliability despite its simple mechanics and rustic plastic leaf spring. Samig across the curve? At any time. For something 630 Nm have to be good. However, anyone who does not dodge the power of the V8 over the rear axle will experience a sports car with an extraordinary performance, considering its origin.

But admitted: After a hard day on the mountain, with Alfa 4C, Ferrari 458 speciale and Porsche 911 GT3, I enjoyed the Corvette only for the return trip over land, along Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. No longer in gear 1,2 and 3, but in gear 6 and 7. The V8 grumbles to itself and yet the power is always felt.

V8 surface-to-air missile at the budget rate

He's a body of sound, but he's also a real athlete. Different, yes. Not necessarily better than anything else in the # radical14, but hey, the Corvette C7 definitely offers the greatest mood effect per euro. Because that should not be missing in any article about the Corvette, its price! Because with us, this 466 horsepower from overseas costs just 69.990 euros. Another argument!

All photos: Tobias Heil