I’ve never considered myself a Corvette cognoscente. I still get flummoxed with the alphabet soup of designations, model numbers and engine differentiations served-up during the car’s near 75-year history. 

But that said, over the decades I’ve driven my fair share of America’s favorite sportscar. Some good, some not so good.

So excuse me for being so bold, but I’d like to nominate the latest, 2026 Corvette E-Ray Convertible as the finest, most-appealing, most fun-driving ‘Vette yet.

How come? Here is the very first Corvette with handling-enhancing all-wheel drive and an electrified powertrain. Yes, it’s a hybrid, though not like a Prius. An electric motor at the front combined with a hairy-chested 6.2-liter V8 in the back delivers a Kentucky Derby-like 655 horseys. 

This corral of stampeding ponies has the ability to giddyup this electrified Ray from standstill to 60 mph in a butt-clenching, gut-squeezing, eye-watering, 2.5 seconds. 

Yikes, that’s as fast as a 1,001-hp Bugatti Veyron. As quick as a Lamborghini Huracán. 

Yet the beauty and, for me, the real appeal of the E-Ray is that it’s not some hard-core supercar with the ride quality of a Publix shopping cart. 

This is a daily-drivable speed-machine, with magical steering, thrilling yet easy-to-tame handling, logical, intuitive controls and not one, but two trunks for Trader Joe’s runs. 

Add to that price. While $108,000 for a base E-Ray may not sound too much like a bargain, especially compared to the $70,000 starting price of a regular C8 Corvette Stingray, consider the esoteric competition it goes head-to-head with. 

These include the likes of McLaren’s Artura ($248,000), Ferrari’s 296 GTB (around $340,000) and Lamborghini’s new Temerario (around $390,000).

Want more power in your Corvette? You can step-up to the track-focused 670-hp Z06 priced from $120,000, or the brutal 1,064-hp ZR1 (from $185,000). 

But unless you really want to go to Top Gun flight school to extract their ultimate capabilities, their talents are going to be wasted. That’s why the E-Ray is such a gem. 

Slide behind that funky but functional squared-off steering wheel, ignite the big V8, listen to that minor nuclear explosion as it fires up, and prepare for the shock ‘n awe feeling akin to inserting your finger in a light socket. 

Of course, if you prefer not to wake-up your neighbors at six in the morning, you can engage Stealth mode and the E-Ray will use battery power to take you up to four miles at up to 45 mph in zero-emission silence before calling-up the big V8. 

For grand touring, keep the drive-mode selector in Tour and the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic will shift with the smoothness of a Swiss watch movement. 

Dial-up Sport though, and everything gets ramped-up to an 11. The mind-boggling off-the-line acceleration, the mid-range thrust, the way the car can sling-shot out of a curve or on-ramp? Just amazing. That’s the benefit of having that electric motor on the front axle.

While the E-Ray has been around since 2023, it got a welcome nip, tuck and jab of Botox facelift for 2026 which addressed most of the mid-engined C8 ‘Vette’s original cabin quirks. 

Gone is the silly, fighter-jet row of switches down the center console, replaced by a meaty passenger grab handle. Climate controls are now proper analog switches, lined-up neatly beneath the center screen.

Like the base Stingray, the E-Ray is offered in 1LZ, 2LZ and 3LZ trim levels as well as a targa-topped coupe or power-folding convertible. 

Our tester is a 3LZ Convertible costing $128,545, though with $28,350-worth of options – gotta love all that carbon fiber trim and wheels – it topped out at an eye-watering $155,895. 

Not sure about that Kermit-like Roswell Green metallic paint though.

While loyal Corvette purists might argue that the standard, targa-roofed version with its lift-off panel is all you need, to me the Convertible’s power-folding hardtop is worth every dime of its $4,500 asking price. 

It lowers in around 16 seconds – also from the key fob – and at speeds up to 30 mph. And with the glass wind-deflector raised, turbulence in the cockpit is almost non-existent, even at triple-digit velocities. 

It all adds up to one of the most appealing sportscars out there, and arguably the best all-round Corvette ever. You can even boast to friends that you’re driving a hybrid.