• Though not confirmed yet, a convertible based on the mid-engine Chevrolet C8 Corvette is almost a certainty.
• A Chevrolet representative hinted that a drop-top C8 is in the works but didn't debut alongside the targa-top coupe on July 18.
• Every generation of the Corvette has offered a convertible since 1953.

With a few exceptions, Chevrolet's Corvette has been sold as a convertible continuously since 1953.
The original Vette, in fact, was only offered as a droptop so logic holds that the new mid-engine Corvette C8 will gain a convertible variant sometime after the targa-top coupe goes on sale late this year.
The sneak reveal of the convertible jibes with our per-reveal chats with the Corvette design and engineering teams.
In those interactions, a confirmation proved elusive.
The closest we got to one was a wink-wink, nod-nod sort of hint: "Stay tuned."

And then Chevy went ahead and showed the car in a video at the C8 Corvette reveal event. So we know it's happening.
There is a solid business case for the droptop, so it's little surprise it's a real thing.
Among many high-priced sports cars, the roofless versions tend to outsell their coupe counterparts. Convenience is another factor.

Have you ever tried removing a Corvette's targa roof panel? Unlatching it and lifting it off the car before setting it down in the trunk—as owners will be able to do with the regular C8's lids is a process more easily done with two dexterous people.
The convertible C7's power-operated top stows (and rises) on its own. So, too, would the droptop C8's roof.

Although details are elusive at this point (the car was merely flashed across the screen at the debut event), it appears as though Chevrolet is switching from the C7's cloth top to a folding hardtop like those used by most mid-engine sports cars.
There simply has to be a solid folding roof to span from those dual humps on the rear deck to the windshield header.
As for when the droptop C8 will appear in production form and go on sale