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Chevrolet Corvette 2020 joins the 300 club! You won't believe the C8 Stingray's blistering top speed

The Corvette C8 Stingray will be capable of a blistering top speed.

The incoming Corvette Stingray is the newest member of the hallowed 300 club, with Chevrolet today confirming a flying top speed that will surely see the new C8 crowned a bang-for-bucks champion.

The numbers are genuinely hard to believe. In base spec, the C8 will scream to a staggering 312km/h, thanks to its hard-charging (and mid-mounted) 6.2-litre LT2 V8 engine, good for a signifiicant 370kW of power and 640Nm of torque, which is shuffled through and eight-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Just let that number sink in for a moment; 312km/h. In a car that, in America, starts at just US$59,995. 

That matches the top speed of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (also 312km/h), and the Corvette could actually be quicker to 100km/h, knocking off the sprint in "around 3.0 seconds", versus 3.2s in the Porsche. There is one number that is significantly different, though; in the States, a GT3 RS costs around US$190k - or around a $130k more than the bargain-basement Chevrolet.

Interestingly, though, the higher the Corvette range you climb, the slower you'll go. US media outlets are reporting that springing for the Z51 edition (US$64,995) will earns you better suspension and brakes, better Michelin Pilot Sport rubber, and around 180kg in extra downforce, but will also reduce your top speed to 296km/h. That said, any speed you lack at the top end will be more than made up for in improved downforce and handling.

Holden is yet to confirm exactly when the C8 will go on sale in Australia, and exactly how much it will cost when it does. But with US production to begin in Q4 this year, we'd be surprised to see the vehicle here before late 2020.

And when it does arrive, CarsGuide would expect a starting price of around $150,000 (though it could be higher). But even at that money, it will remain a bang-for-bucks champion, and able to put the hurt on proper supercars at a fraction of the cost. 

For now, though; watch this space.