OK, we’re not dogging on Corvette here, but we do have to smile when we see a fancy red Corvette spanked by a plain Jane-looking daily driver. We were wowed when we caught this Gen 5 ‘Vette taking on the roundy-rounds against a battered and filthy wood-paneled Chevy Malibu wagon. Moreover, you’ll be as surprised as we were to see the wagon – despite some aggressive body roll – take the Corvette to the cleaners. Whatever you might say to excuse the driver of the ‘Vette, racing is racing, and this wagon walloped the sportscar.
Titled “Grocery Getter” – at least by the announcer – the beat old wagon was given the inside lane against the better-equipped Corvette, probably guessing that the light and nimble coupe could outtake the station wagon around the oval. There’s a couple of close calls in the video, where you might think that the wagon nearly swapped paint with the red ‘Vette, but no such contact was made. This was a clean race around an asphalt track and the Corvette was clearly bested.
Surprisingly, some knuckleheads have excused the ‘Vette’s loss because, according to them, “the Corvette simply isn’t designed for acceleration through curves.” Um, what exactly is the Corvette designed to do if not master the road course? Unlike a Camaro or Chevelle, the Corvette, even at its earliest days, was designed specifically with road course manners in mind. This is evidenced in GM’s insistence that the ‘Vette be present at Le Mans as well as through most European racing series. Sorry pal, this Corvette got stomped. Live with it.