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Chevrolet took a prototype of the upcoming mid-engine Corvette C8 at the track for high-speed testing and the rest is history.

The tester you see in the photos here appears to have come a long way since the first scoops and seemingly features a lot of the production-intent bodywork underneath its heavy wrapping.

There are very few details out there about the next-gen Corvette, but we have heard that GM is planning to offer the Corvette C8 with three different powertrains. These will include the engines codenamed LT2, LT6 and LT7, with one of them being a hybrid powertrain.

There will also be several roof options to choose from, including fixed, targa and a full-glass option. Chevrolet plans to use composite materials in both the body and parts of its new platform as well to keep the weight down.

Production is said to start at the Bowling Green, Kentucky in January 2019, with the rollout of the different derivatives to be completed by the middle of 2021. Some reports suggest that Chevrolet will continue offering the C7 alongside the C8 until 2021.

Chevrolet’s switch to a mid-engine platform for the Corvette will be the biggest change in the model’s history since its original launch in 1953. Sources say that part of the reason is because the Corvette has an increasingly ageing demographic, with the company resting its hopes to the new mid-engine model in order to bring younger customers into the showrooms.