Okay, so. It’s not the mid-engine Corvette. But the Corvette Daytona Prototype circling the GM Racing Heritage turntable around the freshly renovated GM World in the central tower of the Renaissance Center does pay as a reminder that Chevrolet was at one point competing with mid-engined Corvettes around the country in the IMSA racing series.
One wonders if there was any research and development taking place from 2012 to 2016, before the Cadillac DPi race cars replaced these majestic beasts. One wonders if there were any learnings from this mid engine Corvette racing program that can be applied on the street. Hopefully, we’ll have answers soon.
And speaking of racing, be sure to check out all of the Trans Am, IMSA, Stadium Trucks, and IndyCar action happening during the 2018 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix – this weekend.
Comments
If you follow the time line GM was working on the Mid Engine C7 before this Daytona Prototype.
I had wondered how much of the styling was used on the Protype racer was related to the then delayed mid engine street car.
Keep in mind the C7 originally was started to be mid engine till GM delayed the program and ran it at a slower pace along side with the front engine C7.
Bob Lutz spoke on this a little while ago.
Other than the engine little was share with the Daytona car as it was a spec built racer that really has little to do with the coming street car.
The GTLM class is much closer to the stock car but even there only a small part of the car is related. The ZR1 has more power and better ceramic brakes but lacks the many race tricks the C7R carries.
Chip Gnassi campaigned 1 back in the day. Red in color! Don’t know whose team this blue 1 belonged 2
Spirit of Daytona team. They are the Visit Florida team Cadillac today.
These were the Pontiac cars before the body change. It was just a spec racer.