20 years since the C6 Corvette debuted

as a person After graduating from high school in the 2000s, I often had the 1997-2004 C5 Chevrolet Corvette in my mind. It’s an attractive, capable, and relatively affordable sports car with a large owner community and a plethora of aftermarket replacement parts and upgrades. But recently it occurred to me that 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of its successor, the C6. Over the past two decades, the Corvette has reached new heights in engineering, power and performance. However, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

what has changed
obvious

Long before the C6 came out, Chevrolet considered turning the Corvette into a mid-engine car, but it ultimately never came to fruition. After reaching the pinnacle of front-engine, rear-wheel drive in 2019 with the 755-horsepower C7 ZR1, Chevrolet finally switched to a mid-engine layout with the launch of the C8-generation Stingray in 2020.

The C8 looks very different from the C6, but it’s not the first. Although its layout is the same as the sixth-generation model, the C7 does away with the C6’s quad round taillights, a design cue that has been synonymous with Corvettes for decades (if you don’t count the square unit at the rear) from the C4 ZR1 and Vettes 1991-1996).

Check under the hood

As advanced and powerful as the 2005-2013 Corvettes were, they never offered DOHC power like the C4 ZR-1 and the current Z06 and ZR1. Are there any all-wheel drive hybrids like the E-Ray? never. Yes, the C6 covers a variety of engine options, including base 6.0-liter and 6.2-liter V8s, a 7.0-liter LS7, and a 639-hp supercharged LS9, but the 2025 ZR1 is the first factory-produced twin-turbocharged Corvette – and more than 1,000 horsepower.

a big change

Unfortunately, the road to improved performance and faster lap times has taken its toll. You can buy the C6 with a six-speed manual and the C7 with a seven-speed manual, but these days, you can only buy the new Corvette with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic.

What stays the same
most important number

The V8 engine has been a favorite among American car enthusiasts for decades, but it’s not invincible. Indeed, over the past 20 years, Chevrolet has changed the displacement of the Corvette V8 and added superchargers and turbochargers. But it retains all the V8s under or in the Corvette’s hood – that’s exactly what it has been since 1955, and that’s how it should be.

another important person

Even in its base form, the Corvette is still a special car. Part of the reason is that it’s a two-seater. There are no sedan or wagon variants (although either would be very interesting). The Corvette is not a practical ride-sharing machine or roomy family hauler. You choose your favorite passenger, buckle up, and take off towards the horizon.

endless love

The C6 pushed the Corvette into new territory. Its base engine has increased displacement and output. The available automatic transmission increases in complexity and gear count, to a maximum of eight. The ZR1 is proof that Chevrolet is willing to go to extremes never seen before.

Chevy has done the same thing in every phase of the C8. When it was launched as a 2020 model, I was lucky enough to get one for a week of testing. It’s shocking how many people show up out of nowhere just to see the first mid-engine production Corvette up close or to ask me questions about it. Then again, this shouldn’t be surprising. The country has always loved the Corvette (okay, maybe it’s not so fond of the Malaise Era models), and apparently still does. They don’t call it “America’s sports car” for nothing.