Every so often, America spits out a fantastic car. 

Icons like the Mustang, the Viper, and the Shelby Cobra are a few that fill the pages of the history books. 

But there’s a new kid on the block. One that has been great for decades, but only now has it risen to the level of American legends. 

The 2023 Corvette C8 ZO6 

It scythes through the competition at half, or even a third of the price.

It underpromises and over-delivers. 

Though this leaves it with a strange curse. 

It suffers from an identity crisis. 

The C8 performs extremely well on track, in fact well enough that it competes with the likes of the Ferrari 458 and the Porsche 911 GT3, two absolute track monsters. 

It is constantly being compared to the Italians and labeled as a ‘budget’ supercar (not that $115k is pocket change).  

It’s got a flat plane crank V8, just like the 458. 

It sounds exotic. 

It performs just as well on track. 

And it even has the looks for it. 

But does it really belong?

_________

The Corvette has long been a symbol of the American spirit. 

It is brash, brutal, and rowdy. 

It’s not classy like a Porsche or a Ferrari. 

When the Corvette begins to take itself too seriously, it just feels forced. 

It’s like giving a gorilla silverware, then expecting him to eat nicely at the dinner table. 

It seems the Corvette has turned a new leaf. It’s nicer now, more civilized, it grew up. 

But some of us just miss the degeneracy of the Vettes of old.