Chevrolet Corvette

The new 2021 Chevrolet Corvette wasn’t little, or red. But baby, it was fast. There simply wasn’t enough street for it. Corvette became the great American sports car in the 1950s. It’s gone through many iterations, some that lacked design je ne sais quois. Here in the C8 — the eighth version of the sports cars — it pulled off a next level execution that’s even giving more expensive Euro sports cars a serious run for the money.

How it looks when you see on the street: It looks different from every exterior angle. From the side, it says, “I might be a Lambo,” which could be alienating to a Corvette purist. Head on, it harkens back to the original shark-faced Stingray.

How it makes you feel inside: Like crawling in a snug treehouse. Materials have upped the interior game. The Recaro racing seats aren’t always graceful to enter and exit, but feel snug like a pocket once inside.

How it drives: What everyone’s been talking about is that its become a mid-engine sports car, which means the engine has moved behind the passenger compartment, when it once was in front of it. This switch accounts for some of its thrilling handling prowess. It will zip from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds.

Space for people and things: Trunk space is minimal and the cozy cockpit is not for the large and in charge.

Best features: The removable roof.

What makes it stand out: It’s over-the-top physique. A pedestrian stopped to ogle over it and said “congratulations” when I got in the driver’s seat. To drive the new Corvette is to stand out.

How much it costs: It starts at $58,900. It delivers what they call bang for the buck — so many performance and tactile features priced like nothing else in its segment.