Chevrolet Corvette is right to go!

The factory-built right-hand drive Chevrolet Corvette is go and seems certain to be coming to Australia as part of the new General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) structure.

That’s great news for Aussie sports car fans aspiring to own the first mid-engined Corvette, as factory RHD rather than local conversion will chop thousands of dollars off the retail price.

There had been debate about whether a RHD Corvette C8 would become the responsibility of GMSV and its local remanufacturing partner, the Walkinshaw Automotive group, after GM froze product development because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But clearly the green light has been pressed again as Chevrolet has announced the Corvette Stingray will be sold in the United Kingdom in right-hand drive from the second half of 2021.

That means, theoretically at least, it should be available for Australian sale by GMSV from around the same timeframe.

It is the first time the Corvette will be offered ex-factory in right-hand drive. The C8 drives its rear wheels via a 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine making 369kW and 640Nm.

In the UK the C8 Launch Edition will retail for £81,700 pounds as a coupe and £87,110 pounds as a convertible, which translates to about $A148,000 and $A158,000 respectively.

The Corvette would join the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 in GMSV dealerships. The newly launched truck is already being sold by WAG subsidiary Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) through its dealer network.

The GMSV deal is yet to be inked. The new entity is likely to be owned by General Motors and will contract WAG to supply its services.

Stitching the deal together has been complicated by COVID-19 and the fractious compensation debate with between GM and Holden dealers, which enters mediation on June 10-11.