The mid-engine Corvette has suffered from various fits and starts since the model’s introduction in early 1953. GM teased it for decades with concepts and one-offs, finally pulling the trigger last July, revealing the 2020 Chevy Corvette. But forces continued to work against the mid-engine sports car. A union strike and pandemic delayed production, but it finally appears the 2020 Chevy Corvette Convertible is arriving at dealerships.
CorvetteBlogger.com reported earlier this month that it’d learned Corvette Convertible production began on August 3. The publication said production would start slow, the first batch likely being held for quality-control checks before being shipped off to dealerships, and the report appears correct. There’s a new video on YouTube of at least one, a blue-on-blue-on-blue example arriving at Criswell Chevrolet in Maryland with a sold sign on the dash. It’s a short video, and the drop-top arrives with other Corvette models in tow, both delivered and still on the truck, but it’s impossible to see if any of the others are also convertibles.
When Chevy revealed the convertible last September, rumors suggested its production would begin in February. However, a UAW strike in the same month as the reveal delayed GM from finishing C7 production. Then, in March, much of the automotive industry shut down in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic. COVID didn’t put an end to all Corvette production, but the assembly line didn’t roll again until May, focusing on catching up with coupe orders.
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The C8 convertible was another first for GM, giving the Corvette its first retracting hardtop. Six hydraulic motors move it up and down at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, and it doesn’t eat up any of the cargo space. It features the same 6.2-liter V8 making 490 or 495 horsepower (365 or 369 kilowatts) and 465 or 470 pound-feet (630 or 637 Newton-meters) of torque. The convertible is a $7,500 price premium, which isn’t bad considering the base model’s relatively affordable price.
