New Details Surface On Mid-Engine Corvette In New Report
14
Sponsored Links
Car and Driver has not been shy about divesting what it hears about the oft-rumored, nowadays expected, mid-engine Corvette. Recently, the magazine has spilled plenty of new, rather detailed tidbits in a new report. Specifically, it provides a timeline of C7 Corvette happenings, and when we should finally see the next generation Corvette make its big splash.
According to the report, the “C8 Corvette” will show face as soon as the 2018 North American International Auto Show, where it will feature an updated version of the current 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine. Moreover, the report says that this engine mounted in the middle of the vehicle, and goes on to say that an all-new, four-cam, 32-valve DOHC V8 will come later. C&D pegs its starting price at just $80,000. The C8 may even wear the “Zora” nameplate, paying homage to the Zora Arkus-Duntov, father of the Corvette program. Duntov was also an advocate for a mid-engined Corvette. Alas, such a model never reached production in his lifetime. But there have been several concepts.
As for the C7 Corvette, according to Car & Driver, it will expire in 2018 in its current form, with a C7 Corvette ZR1 coming to the 2017 North American International Auto Show as the seventh-generation’s goodbye. That would make the C7 one of the shortest generation of Corvette in some time, if proven correct.
Furthermore, by 2020, the Corvette team reportedly has aspirations to hybridize the Corvette in some way, with the recent E-Ray trademark filing as the name.
We wish it were as easy as simply asking the nice people at Chevrolet if this has any merit, but alas, it is not. We’ll have a better idea after the 2017 NAIAS in Detroit, Michigan if this timeline rings true. In the meantime, GM is holding its Corvette secrets very tightly against its chest.
Sponsored Links
There is a good possibility that the C7 could remain in production for a little longer along size the C8.
Originally GM investigated to see if they could do a platform that would do front and mid engine and some claim they have done that. I am not sure if this is what they did on the C7 yet but with the rear trans Axle it is possible the platform could pull it off in some aspects.
GM will remain very quiet on this as for one they do not want to kill C7 sales and two they want to keep a competitive advantage.
The neat thing here is we will have Ford GT like performance or better at more than half the cost and many times more availability.
The door is open to many things here as GM now have people in place that will support this kind of performance.
Add to this the new Camaro is really now at a level it is almost as good as the C7 and with the Z/28 it may be as good.
I expect the V8 to remain but a TT V6 has been mentioned and that would be to their advantage in the IMSA series as the Turbo cars have been doing much better under the rules there.
Also keep in mind they could do some V6 Turbo based on a cheaper version of the Indy car engine. This would make a great race engine for Pratt and Miller. Or even the TT V6 already used by Pratt and Miller in the ATS Coupe race car.
Like I said lots of possibilities and lots of things will happen. I find this as one of the most exciting times for the Corvette since 1963.
U ou dont think corvette has the performance of a ford gt that isnt even being sold to the public and besides if ford does decide to sell their gt car that the price will definatly be higher than the c7.
Right now corvette has good performance, just look at the last 5 major races corvette has won except the races porschia has won by dirty drivers.
Wake up, corvette is the best super car performance, price, american made, corvette is the best, period.
If the rumors are true and that General Motors has given Chevrolet the green light to design and build a 21st century mid-engine Corvette, we’ve got to think out of the box as far as propulsion goes as this new Corvette could be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (or PHEV) meaning throw out the idea of a 900 horsepower twin-turbo 6.2L V8 and instead something like General Motors’ Skateboard chassis with electric motors at every wheel which means this is an all-wheel-drive with all-wheel-steering drive-by-wire vehicle.
There’s no doubt that a mid-engine Corvette will be more expensive; but it shouldn’t be significantly more expensive than the current car which has an entry price at $60K, although the top tier car may have a price that is about $150K.
A $150K Corvette ZR-1 with AWD and AWD as well as the equivalent of 900 hp for zero to sixty acceleration times under 3 seconds, mileage approaching 50 miles per gallon would mean a Corvette capable of stealing sales from the Ford GT and every foreign exotic.
As great as this sounds, the C7 still has alot of excitement and strong sales which knowing GM they will not introduce a new car with another one still strong especially if the report says a Zr1 is coming. That makes no sense. I would expect to see this midengine corvette around 2020
Well first off i would not get too goofy on the engines.
There will be come major changes but Would not get to the point of a major plug in Hybrid. For one where would you put the Battery?
The first step will be to move to a mid engine package and cut more weight from the car. A Turbo on a V6 or smaller V8 may be next.
A Hybrid version may be in but I would expect more of a Volt like system to run the front wheels but with power from the engine into a generation system. This would add a little weight but it would cut much of the parasitic power loss and would save the mechanical drive line space used.
Also the price of such systems yet are high so I would expect it as a limited model and not the norm.
The ZR1 like high powered C7 is not crazy as the engine they may use could be the engine for the C8. It is common for GM to use an engine in one gen and carry it over as they did like with the Cross fire injection 82-84.
Also we must consider that the C7 may not go away right away as some claimed before the C7 and C8 would be sold as two models together.
While we can expect some major changes here just don’t get too carried away as we know how much complaining was done when they just went to square tail lamps. For sure we will see changes but they will come over a series of years not all at once. Or the Stingray could become it’s own model along side the Zora.
I just don’t see GM leaving the lower end models out and leaving the traditional people behind. The improvements at the Vette plant could make this happen easy. If they could build a platform to do front and mid engine that would make it even more possible. I do know these were considered at one time but time as passed and it is hard to estimate where they are now.
I do know while it will climb in price they will want to not go too far to lose the value they have always been.
Where does a “mid-engine” sit in the body? If it is not in the front, or in the rear, then does the engine sit in the middle, or next to the driver?
Mid-engine places the engine anywhere between the front and rear axles.
In the case of this rumored Corvette, it’d be between the passenger compartment and the transaxle as is done in the Ford GT and other supercars.
So, according to your “definition”, my 1975 Chevy Vega was a “mid-engine” car because the 2.5 L I4 engine sat behind the front suspension/axle.
When word gets out about the possibility of an $80K ME Corvette, I’ll bet all those folks who recently purchased Z06’s for six digits are going to be very pissed; C7 sales may very well tank as a result. Albeit, historically speaking, 1962 Corvette sales increased over 1961, even though it was very well known a new Corvette was on the horizon for 1963. And I don’t think it was because the new for 1962 327 made its appearance. Go figure.
C-7 corvette sales are already down. the number of people who can afford and want this type of car are getting smaller. as a owner of 11 new corvettes since 1959 at 82 year old I am no longer in the market for a car that is quicker than my reflexes. I would like to see the average age of new corvette owners now vs when I bought my first new one back in 1959.
Could this engine be the DOHC, 32-valve, V-8 they’re talking about?
http://www.enginelabs.com/news/mercury-racing-courting-crate-engine-market-with-1650-horsepower/
Boat engine manufacturers never design & develop their own engines. They always grab an existing car engine and modify it for marine use.
mercury went to DOHC engines because they were having valve train problems with the pushrod engines lasting in endurance racing.
a friend is manager of the twin turbo V-6 caddy engine development program used in the caddy race car and I would say that engine would be a good choice for a new mid engine corvette.
GM already built a mid engine corvette back in 2002 but it was called the Cadillac Cien. I bet they are ready to start production on the C8 just waiting for the right time I guess.
IMO they should continue with the front engine design and bring out a seperate low production mid engine hypercar model which would bring the price through the roof as everyone scrambles to be one of the first to get it.
For engines a screaming small displacement DOHC 32V twin turbo v8 would be sweet but would not be needed running twin turbo at the intended power levels.
An all aluminum OHV engine would work great with less weight,size,complexity while yielding better long term reliability.Sure they could use the v8 or v16 northstar engine but why bother for the extra complexity ,size ,weight and cost.