This is the C8 mid-engine Chevy Corvette

[gymratter]

[TrackRider54]

I am about an hour away from the Corvette Assembly Plant. I've never been to tour it, but always wanted to go so I was planning a visit. Sadly, all plant tours have been cancelled and will not resume until 2019. Something is going on they don't want the public to see rolling off that assembly line.

[mazeroni]

Originally Posted by Silver Supra

I think the Corvette changes have been planned a long time and will come about now to separate it from the newer Camaros. They are close to matching the Corvette now - and did sizzle the Nurburgring!

I may be mistaken, but I recall reading that the C7 was supposed to be mid engine, but then GM had to be bailed out, and they scrapped those plans.

But yea, the new Camaro should very much be thought of as an unofficial replacement for the Corvette. Sure, the driving dynamics are different, but we have to consider that for all of the 50-80 year old people who buy Corvettes to drive them 20 under the speed limit, I think we can stand to lose the front engine corvette and just start pointing existing Corvette buyers in the direction of the Camaro ZL-1.

The Camaro is stepping on the Corvette's toes when it comes to pure numbers, which matter to a lot of people. So going mid engine makes sense from an engineering and marketing standpoint, I think.

[gymratter]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0rt8VCZgc[/ame]

[Sideways]

Im not a fan of idea of mid-engine corvette, but its about time that GM takes this step to add corvette to other mid-engine exotic cars group and to compete with cars like NSX, R8, etc.

[WolfpackS2k]

^Why? A base Corvette costs less than a third of the cars you mentioned. And a base Z06 is still less than HALF. What's your rationale?

[vh_supra26]

The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette is real, and it's finally been caught patrolling public roads. Thanks to Autoblog readers Jake Vandermoon and Josh Busenbark for sharing these photos with us. Vandermoon caught the car up in Cadillac, Michigan, pretty far north of Detroit or GM's main proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan. These are far and away our best look at the car yet, and the fact that GM is out on public roads shows that development is fairly far along.

The car is still heavily camouflaged, but we can make out a number of details. Other than the obvious mid-engine proportions, the biggest tell is the huge intake right behind the door. We don't know what's under the engine cover (maybe a DOHC V8), but It's unlikely to be anything other than a big, burly V8. Even through the camo, the Corvette's pointed nose is evident.

There's not much else we can say other than "hooray!" This car has been rumored and talked about for decades, but it seems Chevy is finally following through. We can't wait to get behind the wheel.

https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/11/...#slide-7119290

[mazeroni]

Beat to the punch. Looks okay. Very Ferrari'ish.

Why wouldn't it be a variation of the LT5? Not high revving enough?

[Yardjass]

It looks a lot better than the earlier mule did. I'm just wondering exactly what their plan is. A lot of the time these things have been running around has also been spent track testing a front-mid ZR1. Perhaps the next generation is a lot closer than expected or maybe this will be a Caddy. Maybe they will figure out a way to brand a hypercar without messing with their classic, sort of like what Porsche did with the 918 and the 911.

[vh_supra26]

The mid-engine Corvette is real. Yes, it's been rumored for literally decades and nothing has come of it, but this time, it's happening. We've seen a ute-based powertrain mule, we've seen them cold weather testing, and we've heard all sorts of info and rumors on what will be powering it.

We also now know what car the mid-engined Corvette is designed to compete directly with: the Porsche 911 Turbo S.

These mid-engined Corvette prototypes (there were three of them) were caught traveling through southwest Michigan with a Porsche 911 Turbo S in tow. And it's not just a guy in a Turbo S who wanted to follow some cool Corvettes around. This 911 has Michigan manufacturer plates on it, meaning that it is owned by a car manufacturer, not an individual. We're willing to bet a pretty penny that manufacturer is Chevrolet, especially considering Chevrolet has purchased 911s in the past for Corvette-related development work.

It makes sense. The Corvette is always, always, compared with the Porsche 911. Both are the premier, halo sports cars from their respective nations, have been in production for approximately the same amount of time, and have similar performance across the range. While the C7 Corvette would be closer to a Carrera S and the Z06 and Grand Sport would be more akin to a 911 GT3, the mid-engine model will go in a slightly different direction.

Benchmarking against a Turbo S implies that the Vette will be more than just a one trick pony. The Turbo S is a very nice all-around car; it's brutally quick on the track and effortlessly fast on the road. It's also $200,000, has 580-horsepower, and can hit 60 from a standstill in 2.5 seconds. Chevrolet seems to want its car to be just as capable as the Turbo S, and it will likely cost half as much.

So what else can we tell from these photos and videos?

These mid-engine Corvette prototypes spotted in Michigan are our best look yet at the upcoming American supercar. Even if the proportions have changed and the car is mid-engined, it is very obviously related to a Corvette. The nose comes to a sharp point, much like the C7, and the front end, though covered by camo, looks related to the current car. The rear end has quad, squared off exhausts, unlike the C7, these are pushed wide instead of centered. We can't tell what shape the rear lights are, but it's very unlikely that they're round.

The brakes appear to be steel rotors, though it seems likely that carbon ceramics would also be offered on an upper trim level.

While we don't know what's under the hood, we do believe that it could be a DOHC V8 codenamed LT5. It's an engine that could also appear, albeit in supercharged form, in the upcoming Corvette ZR1. The mid-engined Vette might not have forced induction, instead relying on less weight and better balance as the way it'd solidify its position as the halo Corvette.

Of course, there could be an insane version on the way, this is the just the start of a car that's been nearly 50 years in the making.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars...esting-photos/

[vh_supra26]

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

Is it just me or that looks like a modern KITT

Germans will love it & they can even use david hasselhoff for the ad since germans still love him to death till this very day.


I approve

[Summerwolf]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

^Why? A base Corvette costs less than a third of the cars you mentioned. And a base Z06 is still less than HALF. What's your rationale?

....and the corvette outperforms 90% of the higher priced vehicles.


All I keep thinking to myself is that C7 prices are going to drop. Sooo....Supra or C7 Going to be a tough decision coming up.

[Dadhawk]

GM's Corvette Museum Newsletter released yesterday had an article on the shortened production year for the 2018 with the early startup of the 2019 model, and makes mention of the mid-engine Vette.

Originally Posted by Corvette Museum

And as for a “C8” mid-engine Corvette, no official word has been received announcing the highly anticipated model. But it has been photographed quite a bit lately. Perhaps it’s GM’s way of teasing us just a little bit!