Chevrolet Corvette Stingray #94

For seventy years the Corvette was built with the steering wheel on the wrong side for this island. Every one of them, from 1953 onward, left the factory in left-hand drive. Anyone in Cyprus who wanted one had to accept the compromise or pay for a conversion. The C8 ended that. It is the first Corvette in the model's history built in right-hand drive on the production line and the first with the engine behind the driver. This one went to Japan new, came through auction at grade 4.5 with no rust and no accident history. It is now in Cyprus.

Red Mist Metallic is the colour Chevrolet reserved for the cars that were meant to be looked at. It is a deep candy red with a metallic depth that shifts from claret in the shade to something close to arterial under the midday sun. On a mid-engine shape with air intakes cut into the doors, it does exactly what a Corvette colour is supposed to do, which is make people stop talking mid-sentence. The roof panel lifts out in under a minute and stores in the rear compartment, so the coupe becomes a targa for the coast road and a coupe again before the car park.

Behind the seats sits a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8. No turbochargers, no hybrid assistance, no electronic noise generator — 490 hp from displacement and revs, the old way. It reaches 100 km/h in about three seconds through an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and drives the rear wheels only. The sound at full throttle behind your head is the reason people buy this over anything German with the same numbers. On a long motorway run it settles to around 8 litres per 100 km, which is the one figure nobody expects from a V8 of this size.

The Z51 package is what separates a Stingray you drive from one you park. Magnetic Ride Control reads the road surface a thousand times a second and adjusts the dampers to match, which is the difference between a supercar that punishes Cypriot tarmac and one that absorbs it. The electronic limited-slip differential puts the power down out of a hairpin instead of spinning it away. Brembo performance brakes handle the return journey down from Troodos without fading. The front lift raises the nose at the touch of a button — the single most useful option on a low car in a country of steep driveways and unmarked speed bumps.

Inside, the 2LT specification covers the things a daily Corvette needs. Tan leather across seats that heat and ventilate. A heated steering wheel. A head-up display that keeps speed and revs in the windscreen. Bose premium audio for the moments the V8 is idling. The rear camera mirror replaces the view over the engine cover, which in a mid-engine coupe is not a luxury but a necessity. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, parking sensors, keyless start and lane assist fill in the rest.

The wheels are forged Apex VS-5RS in staggered fitment — 19 inches at the front, 20 at the rear — on new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, 255-section front and 315-section rear. Apex forged wheels carry a lifetime structural warranty. The original factory wheels and tyres come with the vehicle, so the next owner chooses the look rather than inheriting it.

Two luggage compartments, one at each end, take a weekend's bags between them. CO2 emissions of 277 g/km put the annual road tax at €1,270, which is the honest price of a 6.2-litre V8. Nobody buying one is surprised by it.

The vehicle has been inspected, its auction sheet and history verified. It's available for viewing by appointment only.