How to spy on your valet parker

One of the issues with driving a fast or exotic car in the US is what happens when you arrive at your destination.

Valet parking is the norm in most big US cities, so you often have to hand over your keys to some Ferris Bueller lookalike and pray that they don't fry the brakes or tyres while you're having dinner.

Accordingly, many new cars now come with a Valet switch on the dash to disable some of the key functions of the car and even limit the performance. But none of them allows you to check in on your car's movements while it's supposedly parked up. Until now.

As the cheesy promo vid above demonstrates, all 2015 model year Corvettes fitted with the Cosworth-developed Performance Data Recorder - the onboard camera and datalogging system - will now be available with a new Valet Mode.

Once activated by entering a secret code on the dash, this spy in the cab allows owners to lock the glovebox, disable the infotainment system - and now record hi-def video and audio and other vehicle data, such as speed and g-force, while the car is with the valet.

The video can be viewed instantly on the eight-inch in-car screen, so when you get your treasured car back you can check immediately what it's been through while it was out of your care - and adjust the tip accordingly.

Expect a whole new genre of ‘gotcha' Corvette videos to hit YouTube soon...

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