HOW much do you know about Corvette?

If you're anything like the majority of the UK population, not a lot.

You might know that it's American and, if you're a child of the 1980s, you might recall that Templeton Peck, aka "Face" from The A-Team, used to drive one when he wanted to impress the ladies.

But if that's the limit of your knowledge, don't worry.

Aside from the iconic, but extremely rare, Mark II "Stingray" model, it hasn't really been worth using up your valuable remaining reserves of grey matter to remember anyth-ing about Corvettes.

They've been too big, too thirsty and too poorly built to be of interest to anyone other than hardcore Americaphiles who listen to country music, believe Walt Disney was the greatest artist of the 20th century and view cowboy boots as an acceptable choice of foot-wear with a suit.

However, with the sixth-generation model's arrival, it's time to get up to speed.

This car, to coin an Americanism, is a whole new ball game.

The essential facts are these - the Corvette C6 (pictured) is smaller than, faster than, more powerful than and, best of all, costs less than half the price of a Porsche 911.

And it's not just a case of using selected statistics to make the Corvette seem like an affordable supercar.

Unexpectedly, parent company Chevrolet (which, in turn, is part of the giant General Motors group) has taken the Corvette's hand-ling and suspension seriously at last. It still feels softer than European and Japanese-bred performance models, but not by much.

Returning to raw data, it's easy to remem-ber the figures to go with the facts we've alr-eady committed to memory.

Just keep saying "four", as in 404bhp, a nought-to-60mph time of around four seconds and torque of 400lb/ft at 4,400rpm. That last figure is arguably the most impressive, giving the Corvette tremendous cruising ability.

Stick it into the third, or even the fourth of the six manual gears, and there's enough torque to give a passable impression of an automatic gearbox, which makes the optional four-speed auto an unattractive option.

Amazingly, despite being a brutal six-litre V8 which only an American company could describe as "small block" with a straight face, fuel economy compares fairly well with its rivals at around 24mpg.

Drive it hard and that figure will nosedive, but, again, the torque levels help to rescue the situation for sensible drivers.

There's only one reason why the Corvette will not become a huge seller in Britain. Sadly, it's quite an important one.

Only left-hand-drive models will be available, as GM isn't convinced demand will be strong enough to make it economically viable to make a right-hand-drive Corvette.

But it's a classic chicken-and-egg situation - without right-hand drive, demand will be limited, and if demand is limited, there won't be right-hand drive.

Prices are still to be confirmed but are likely to be in the region of £40,000 to £45,000, which is extraordinary. One-hundred pounds per 1bhp is the sort of value you'd expect from a hot hatch.

The coup model features a removable hardtop that is easy to lift off and can be stowed in the boot. A soft-topped convertible will also be available.

Overall quality is good and the 'Vette is loaded with kit including keyless entry and an Apache helicopter-style head-up display beamed onto the windscreen.

However, some of the interior plastics aren't up to BMW or Audi standards, and the inter-ior design lacks character, with the honour-able exception of some gorgeous dials.

Nevertheless, the Corvette feels quite classy and the sublime rumble under your right foot provides a constant reminder that this car is too raw and exciting to waste its time worry-ing about soft-touch ashtrays and complex air-conditioning systems designed to make you feel as if you're wearing a scarf.

It's simpler to actually wear a scarf and concentrate on the important stuff.