The Chevrolet Corvette has always occupied a rather unique position on British roads.

While Corvettes have long been an everyday sight in America, seeing one in the UK has always been something of an event.

For some of us at Shooting Brake, the C5 is one of those cars that instantly evokes memories of the late 1990s and early 2000s; a genuinely exotic sight that seemed to arrive straight from the pages of an American motoring magazine.

Like our recent Honda Prelude, this isn't a concours example, nor are we pretending that it is.

It wears its years honestly, carries a handful of cosmetic imperfections and is accompanied by a relatively modest history file.

Yet we'd argue that's almost beside the point.

What sits beneath the sculpted composite bodywork is one of General Motors' finest modern powertrains: the immensely robust 5.7-litre LS1 V8.

Smooth, understressed and blessed with effortless performance, it's an engine that has earned legendary status for its reliability and tuni...