Tuesday 31st January 2017

Mid-engined Corvette spy shots

Our best look yet at the mid-engined Corvette (and ZR1 too) - watch out Ford GT!

---

The mid-engined Corvette has been rumoured for a while now, the switch to a motor mounted amidships almost as contentious as Porsche moving the engine forward in its sports car that's also been around for 50 years. Like a 911 is always rear-engined, a Corvette is the quintessential front-engined, rear-drive US sports car. Except when it's mid-engined, of course...

To go chasing exotica like the Ford GT, Ferrari 488 and McLaren Super Series, Chevrolet is to drop a V8 (well, you hope it's a V8) between the rear wheels and the passengers of a Corvette. This is our first look at it in some kind of daylight, the prototypes apparently running around at night until now to maintain secrecy.

It has the classic mid-engined super silhouette: low, wide and sleek, with the cab pushed forward and the tail long. Beneath the cladding you can see some vaguely familiar Corvette cues - the tail lights and headlights look very similar, plus the quad exhausts - although this is very much something new as Corvettes go.

Conveniently enough the mid-engined car has been photographed with what appears to be the next ZR-1 also. The former appears lower and wider than the latter, no mean feat given the ZR1 will be the most aggressive Corvette yet. Should be even faster too...

Rumours are that the mid-engined Corvette will be launched as a 2019 model. By typical (and very confusing) American model year standards that should mean it's on sale already, but expect it to make a big US show debut either late this year or early next. Detroit would suit nicely...

[Photos: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien]

 

[cib24]

The shape looks very angular like the old 2002 Cadillac Cien concept. Not so sure about it.

[British Beef]

RHD possibility with UK supporting main dealers?????

[Krikkit]

cib24 said:

The shape looks very angular like the old 2002 Cadillac Cien concept. Not so sure about it.

Given that it's almost completely covered in padding I wouldn't think you could say anything about the design other than overall proportions.

Mid-engined is quite radical, I wonder if they'll keep the traditional front-engined one as well?

[350Matt]

surely its no longer a 'vette if the engine is in the wrong place?

there's enough mid engine cars already

[Striple]

cib24 said:

The shape looks very angular like the old 2002 Cadillac Cien concept. Not so sure about it.

kind of reminds me of the new nsx with all those sharp angles

[SamR380]

Thought I’d heard of this before, they tried a prototype mid-ish (ok… rear) engined Corvette in the 60’s.

http://www.corvettes.nl/gm_prototypes/xp819/

[Amanitin]

350Matt said:

there's enough mid engine cars already

not to mention their proportions which are all wrong

[ManOpener]

SamR380 said:

Thought I’d heard of this before, they tried a prototype mid-ish (ok… rear) engined Corvette in the 60’s.

http://www.corvettes.nl/gm_prototypes/xp819/

Isn't that really rear engined? Most of the engine mass looks to be behind the rear wheels.

[rampageturke]

Amanitin said:

350Matt said:

there's enough mid engine cars already

not to mention their proportions which are all wrong

quite obviously a test mule in the same way this was, they don't care about that right now

[VGTICE]

British Beef said:

RHD possibility with UK supporting main dealers?????

Yep, courtesy of Vauxhall dealership network. Good luck mate.

[kambites]

I think the proportions look quite promising, as long as they can resist the modern trend for stupidly OTT surface detailing it could be quite a pretty car.

[SturdyHSV]

Makes sense they've gone for DOHC now as well, no more Corvette bonnet packaging constraints.

Mid-engined all just seems a bit too 'serious'. Can't say I'm excited to be honest.

[tgx]

I think the camouflage is much greater than people think.
I doubt any of those shapes other than the roofline are true
to the body underneath. I think the Cadillac prototype led to the XLR.

Edited by tgx on Tuesday 31st January 19:06

[Vocht]

Well if it's anything as good as their current Z06 it's going to be absolutely fantastic. I often wonder why the Z06 isn't revered more. 650hp, manual box, fantastic track performance, awesome looks and all for a shade under $80,000/£63,500. It's the performance bargain of decade imo.

[k wright]

The shape of that car has almost nothing to do with the final car.

[HappyMidget]

Vocht said:

Well if it's anything as good as their current Z06 it's going to be absolutely fantastic. I often wonder why the Z06 isn't revered more. 650hp, manual box, fantastic track performance, awesome looks and all for a shade under $80,000/£63,500. It's the performance bargain of decade imo.

I would love one of these on the drive next to the VXR8.

[anonymous-user]

ManOpener said:

Isn't that really rear engined? Most of the engine mass looks to be behind the rear wheels.

it is rear engined, i think he thought it was mid ship.

the article says it was based on the corvair, which is rear engined.

[Dave Hedgehog]

350Matt said:

surely its no longer a 'vette if the engine is in the wrong place?

there's enough mid engine cars already

not really, nearly all of them require a lotto win to purchase, so for mere mortals you are left with the porsche or the alfa both of which are now 4 pots

if its sensibly priced at caymen money with a V8 i would certainly be interested

[swisstoni]

Sounds very promising. Hope it's a looker.

[rodericb]

ManOpener said:

Isn't that really rear engined? Most of the engine mass looks to be behind the rear wheels.

Indeed, the very definition of rear engined. Like a Porsche 911, VW Beetle... If the engine was in front of the rear wheels (but behind the driver) it'd be mid-engined.