We can safely assume that we’ve got past the moment where the mid-engined Corvette C8 is an absolute novelty. Articles have been written, videos have been posted on YouTube, so we already know pretty much everything there is to know about Chevy’s first-ever Corvette to have its engine mounted between the cabin and the rear axle.
As the new C8 starts to populate dealerships and owner driveways, a different kind of online content is bound to pop up, including dyno runs and drag racing. Speaking of the latter, here’s a video of a Chevy Corvette C8 running on a shot of nitrous oxide and absolutely owning the drag strip.
How fast is the new Corvette C8 in the quarter mile?
We’ve got two answers for you. The bog-standard C8 Corvette was tested by our colleagues over at Car and Driver and it pulled off 0-60 mph sprints in 2.8 seconds.
But what if the C8 got a little help from a shot of nitrous oxide? The fine folks at Carlyle Racing bought their own Corvette C8 with one thing in mind: drag racing. According to hotrod.com, the standard-spec Corvette was tested on the dyno where it netted 440 horsepower at the rear wheels and 408 pound-feet of torque. That was before Carlyle had its way with it.
Hitting that V-8 with a dose of nitrous is a thing of subtlety
Speaking to hotrod.com, Mark Carlyle, owner of Carlyle Racing, explained that this brand’s expertise in motorsport taught him that “the car would take a small amount of nitrous without issues.” As a result, the C8 was fitted with a Nitrous Outlet dry nitrous kit, with the bottle sitting in the frunk.
The result? With the shot of nitrous triggered and some further tire pressure adjustments, the Corvette ran the 1/4 mile in 10.65 seconds at 130 mph. Check out the video below for proof.