2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6 LS2 Convertible review from UK and Ireland

Nothing.

I'm blown away by this car in all honesty. I test drove it for something to do one Sunday and came away instantly impressed. A few days later, I did the deal, blowing my 20 year old insistence never to buy a LHD car (this is a US import).

Performance is staggering. At 400 bhp, the 6.0 V8 is unstressed and torquey, and through the short throw (if notchy) 6 speed gearbox delivers stunning acceleration. Performance is easily a match for my old V8 Esprit, but with the added attraction that this woofles and howls like a "proper" V8. 0-60 comes up in just over 4 seconds, and I've had 150 mph on the clock with the car still pulling like a train. The car is said to be good for 186 mph and I believe it.

That, I expected. The impressive handling however, I did not. The ride is a little stiff, but it corners flat and there's a surprising amount of feel through the wheel. Turn in is sharp, grip levels face-distorting, and when it does let go, you get gentle understeer which can be corrected by simply easing off and reapplying power. This invokes a lazy powerslide which, thanks to accurate steering and a lovely linear power delivery is an absolute joy to experience.

The car is reliable, and fuel economy isn't even as bad as I was expecting, especially from an American design where fuel until recently was cheaper than mineral water. I get around 20 mpg average, dipping to around 16 when driven hard. The Lotus was similar average, but thanks to its twin turbos, would drop below 10 mpg without too much trouble.

Finally, and I know it's subjective, but I think the car looks stunning. A mix of Ferrari F430 and classic 'Vette lines. Mine's in Victory Red, and from the front, a lot of people mistake it for a Ferrari which is about the biggest compliment you can pay to the styling of a car. Top down and burbling through towns, people stop and stare. It's both beautiful and rare.

So you have Ferrari pace and looks, suprisingly decent handling, and so far so good build quality for the price of top spec cooking 5 series. Only a tacky looking interior give the lower price away, and even that is perfectly useable (ugly four spoke wheel apart). If they did a decent number of RHD versions (instead of the 100 approx which were mentioned) I suspect its rarity would soon be gone. It's a hell of a car for the money.