Right-hand drive Chevrolet Corvette enters final testing

Chevrolet engineers have admitted they are testing the first right-hand drive versions of the mid-engined C8 Chevrolet Corvette ahead of the mid-engined supercar's launch in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Japan, India and South Africa next year.

Speaking to journalists in the US, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter and Corvette product manager Harlan Charles both confirmed that pre-production RHD C8 Corvettes had been built and were now being testing on US roads.

"Yes, some of us are actually driving them around… it’s very strange to be driving a Corvette with the steering wheel on the right-hand side. We’ve built some and we’ll be doing some of our pre-production testing now in the US," Juechter told journalists in a Q&A.

The chief engineer went on to explain how Chevrolet would modify US-Spec 'Vettes for RHD markets including Australia.

"In our car, everything is driver-focused, everything is angled towards the driver, the cockpit wraps around you, and so when you do a right-hand drive, we didn’t want to dumb that down, we wanted those customers to have the same exact experience whether it’s Japan, UK, Australia," said Juechter.

"We wanted them to have the same driver-focused interior and so what we actually did was tool-up all those unique parts that are kinda mirror-shaped so that we can flip them over to the other side and it would just be an exact mirror of the rest of the world’s car, the left-hand drive cars.”

According to product man Charles, the Corvettes destined for Australia have already proved a hit with the development team.

“I really like the Australian car because it’s all localised and so the navigation, the voice, she has that cool Australian voice that comes through…A lot of fun.”

The first global Chevrolet Corvette (produced in factory right-hand drive form for the first time) will be sold in Australia via GM Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), which will effectively replace HSV when it's officially launched in the fourth quarter of 2020.

When first Australian deliveries commence in late 2021 -- a full year later than previously promised by GM Holden -- the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will be powered by a new LT2 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine making at least 370kW of power and 640Nm of torque.

Combined with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the rear-drive C8 should smash the 0-100km/h sprint in around three seconds on its way to a 312km/h top speed.

Australia's Corvette is expected to come with the Z51 package as standard, adding an extra 5hp and aerodynamic extras including a larger rear wing, plus an upgraded exhaust and brakes and an electronic (rather than mechanical) limited-slip rear differential.

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