Corvette's C6 blows off the stereotype that American sports cars are heavy on muscle but light on handling ability, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring editor.
We've all fallen foul of a few stereotypes in our time. Japanese cars are not always dull but dependable; not all French cars are prone to electrical failures; and Italian cars have long since conquered the rumours of rust. Yet it's hard to shake off a national motoring stereotype once it has been bestowed.
Take US sports cars, for example. The expectation is of an enormous engine drooping over the front axle, full of bluster and big enough to tow an apartment block up the road, but virtually impossible to get around a bend. US muscle cars don't do corners, so the stereotype goes.
Therefore, the idea of taking the new Corvette C6 on to the twisting mountain roads of southern France and then out on the Paul Ricard test track seemed ever so slightly insane. Yet there we were, guiding the long, throaty racer, with its 6.2-litre V8 gurgling along, through morning rush hour traffic in Marseilles.
Parked up, this sixth generation Corvette retains a distinctly American look; rather dated in its styling and certainly out of sorts with the narrow cobbled streets. Cosseted behind the wheel, the sheer width of the car means you easily take up every lane. Yet there it stays, even as we start to weave past slow trucks on the mountain climb.
In fact, it's perfectly docile all the way along, capable of puttering along behind a Chevrolet Matiz for two miles of heavy traffic before surging forward with an almighty roar to take in some open road.
Arriving at the track, we were prepared to spend our time trying to keep up with the rear end, which, so the stereotype goes, would be overtaking the front nose in every bend. But this Corvette is the antithesis of all we have come to expect from blue-collar American metal.
It's meant to be uncouth, unstable and designed for straight-line run-offs rather than technical multi-cornered race tracks. The steering wheel is meant to have only the most cursory relationship with the front wheels. It's certainly not supposed to have a decent manual gearbox.
How wrong we were. The old Corvettes may have been left flailing around by their European counterparts, but the slick performance of the new C6 would challenge any similarly-priced sports car rival for fun.
Five laps of the pristine test track and we were confident enough to do something we never imagined possible in a Corvette: switch off all the electronic aids.
As expected, pulling out of the pitlane we lay a fine layer of rubber on the tarmac, but otherwise the car holds its line. Braking, of course, must be done in a straight line, but even when you need to touch the brakes mid-turn, the tail gets only the slightest bit skittish before returning into line again.
This car has its limits: the slightest flick of the wheel and you can get the tail drifting around corners. It won't outrun the Italians, but you won't get your hands on them for under €100,000.
Along with a lighter engine block, the new Corvette has had a reworking of its chassis and steering. All in all, it's a far smarter handling car than we ever expected. And for the price of a Porsche Cayman you get a car that could give a Porsche 911 a run for its money.
Inside it's not bad either. While there's nothing plush about the Corvette's innards, it's a world apart from earlier models.
The biggest problem for any potential Irish buyers will be the lack of a right-hand drive option.
Yet the overall impression from the Corvette is one of a car that's far more capable than we had previously expected.
A day at the wheel, and we start to see why it's become something of a motoring icon, featuring in dozens of songs. Can anyone recall a good song about a Porsche?
Factfile Corvette C6
Engine:6162cc V8 putting out 437bhp @ 6,600rpm with 585Nm of torque @ 4,600rpm
Performance:0-100km/h in 4.4 secs (4.5 secs - auto); top speed: 306km/h
Fuel consumption:13.1 l/100km; CO2: 312 g/km
Prices:coupé: €98,350; convertible: €112,250