It is never too late to review the launching event of one of the supercars I was really looking forward to see live, the Corvette C7 Stingray. The event itself was one of those regular, well organized, launching events at one of the official dealer’s showroom in Beirut with some top models here and there, local celebrities and a draw for a wonderful rolex at the end. At the contrary, the main car that was being introduced, wearing the Stingray badge, had nothing regular about it. Feel free to check the pictures of the event by clicking right here.
The new Vette is powered by a 6.2-litre V8, outputting 460bhp and 465 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels allowing it to burn the 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. It is not only lighter than the old version but featured a revised chassis and has 4 drive modes: Comfort, Touring, Sport and Track. The comfort mode shots off 4 of the 8 cylinders when you’re light on the throttle in order to save fuel. The track mode in the contrary, is a whole different story, it weights-up the steering, opens up the exhausts and firms the dampers to make sure your levels of adrenaline reach new peaks! You may notice sort of paddle shifts behind the steering wheel even though it is a manual. Well those aren’t really paddle shifts. It is a system that, once turned on, makes sure your RPM stays high while you are shifting gears. Mimics the effects of a heels toe if you wish. Quite something! That thing must be a joy to drive can’t to try out that new manual gearbox!
Look wise, this thing looks amazing! Finally has a proper solid body not a plastic feel one like on the previous models. You have to see it pass by on the street to really know what I am talking about. Really deserve that Stingray badge. The signature 4 central exhaust tail pipes has been conserved. The interior looks good, the center console is driver oriented, the seats are well design and are quite comfortable nothing astonishing to mention though. Cherry on top you get all of that for the price of a Boxster! Starting price of this beauty is just around $100K in Lebanon. All in all, good job Chevy, that new born is going to make it into the history books.
The event was planned and very well organised by the owners of the Camaro Club Lebanon themselves. They did a great job, getting the appropriate licenses and permits from the different municipalities, making sure the event runs smoothly and as planned. Even tough the gathering time and day (4pm on a Thursday) of the event were a bit odd, I really enjoyed visiting Billy’s Museum and the food at ATCL was delicious!! IMPEX did a very smart move by collaborating with the Camaro 5 club. It is a very good way of showing that they care about their fans and want to promote the Camaro spirit. These events give a good image and good exposure to the company offline (during the event) and online (after the event). It take some time and effort to organise them, but they do pay off. Rare are the car dealers in Lebanon that take action and “invest” in their fan clubs, which is really a shame. I am expecting a proper roadtrip and some adrenaline rushes for the next event, I am curious to experience what those Camaro have in their guts. Looking forward!
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