Chevrolet has debuted the eighth-gen Corvette in the USA nearly two years ago, and Europe should finally be getting it in the second half of this year – albeit at an increased cost and with certain tradeoffs.
While not official, multiple sources have reported that the EU specification would include a hard particle filter to comply with the strict environmental legislation. If true, this would likely entail a performance drop to around 475 PS (468 hp / 349 kW) and 616 Nm (454 lb-ft) of torque.
Chevrolet has not officially confirmed these numbers yet. In North America, the sports car uses a 6.2-liter non-turbo V8 mounted between the axles that churns out 502 PS (495 hp / 369 kW) and 637 Nm (470 lb-ft) of torque.
This wouldn’t be the first time European laws clamped down on performance car power. For instance, the Volkswagen Golf R lost 10 PS (10 hp / 7.5 kW) when the European Union adopted the WLTP standard.
The Chevrolet Corvette C8 Launch Edition is expected to arrive in Europe priced from €99,000 for the coupe version and €106,000 for the roadster version. Both are luxury specs priced nearly twice as high as the base trim level in the USA ($59,900 USD).