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The Mid-Engine Corvette Has Been A Pipe Dream For Four Decades

The internet has been abuzz with the incoming mid-engine Corvette for the past few years. But long before the internet, the idea for a mid-engine Corvette was lurking within the halls of General Motors.

Hagerty spoke to three men who know the situation best: Dave McLellan, Dave Hill, and Tom Wallace. Each led the Chevrolet Corvette engineering programs, and all three recalled their experience with a potential mid-engine Corvette.

McLellan perhaps had the toughest job of all: replacing Zora-Arkus Duntov as the car’s chief engineer. The former engineer, now 82-years-old, recalled Duntov’s final departing words were essentially, “build the mid-engine Corvette.” Alas, it never happened.

Mid-Engine Chevrolet Corvette Spy Shots - Nurburgring - September 2018 013

He cited a lack of interest from owners for a move away from the traditional layout, but believes the timing is right today for such a car. In fact, he added it could be Chevrolet’s Porsche 918 Spyder moment to show what the brand is capable of.

“Chevrolet needs to show potential buyers what it’s capable of delivering with a potent V8, a hybrid-electric powertrain, and all-wheel drive,” McLellan said.

Hill took over from McLellan in 1992 and kept the mid-engine Corvette further on the back burner. He recalled hearing his predecessor had gotten into some trouble for advocating for a mid-engine Corvette. Instead, he said customers wanted a Corvette free of squeaks and rattles, and more emphasis was placed on the automatic transmission. Today’s chief engineer, Tadge Juchter, was also brought onboard during Hill’s tenure.

C5 Corvette Regular Car Reviews

“Tadge interviewed for the position and was obviously the best guy for the job. He turned out to be a wonderful engineer, team leader, and GM executive. But he insisted he wouldn’t join our group if we weren’t willing to improve what he considered the Corvette’s weaknesses,” Hill said.

Though, he wasn’t brought on to bolster the case for a mid-engine car. The “financial climate” didn’t call for such a car at GM and the team instead built upon the C5 Corvette to create the C6-generation car.

That leads us to Wallace, who nearly saw the C7 Corvette turn into a mid-engine car. After taking the top position, discussions about a mid-engine car resurfaced in 2006 and 2007. The team truly began investigating a move away from a front-engine Corvette and marketing agreed it was the right move as the core customer base grew older.

Three Corvette C6 on track

Former CEO Rick Wagoner nearly didn’t agree to OK the program and said the team would be held responsible if the car failed to turn a profit. Eventually, they agreed on a $55,000 price point.

Development spread to secret investigation trips to study Ferrari and Porsche cars and 1/8 scale models were built. Wallace said designs for both a mid-engine and front-engine car were done and both were gorgeous.

But, the day of reckoning came. 2008 had struck and former vice chairman Bob Lutz told Wallace “the patient is dead” regarding a mid-engine Corvette. GM had no funds to invest in the Corvette and Wallace was instructed to keep the C6 generation alive with new paint colors and other small packages. Lutz added GM wouldn’t be working on a C7 Corvette for a while.

Mid-Engine Chevrolet Corvette Spy Shots - Nurburgring - September 2018 007

Wallace summed up his feelings well, saying, “I volunteered for early retirement. I loved Corvettes and working with our team but couldn’t see myself babysitting a car with dice decals, new color options, and stuff like that.”

However, during GM’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the federal government quickly found the Corvette was one of “Old GM’s” last remaining profit centers. So, work began on the C7 Corvette as an update over the C6 car. At its helm? Juechter. Now, Juechter will finally be the Corvette engineer to realize a dream that stretches back 40 years.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. What’s in the pipe to make the dreams?

    Does this mean the C8 will only be available in states where it’s legal? Only west-coasters and liberal Massachusetts tax-hikers?

    Dang! California got lucky! We get to thrash around our canyon roads and Laguna Seca in this here Corvette Zoracar, while you backwards alcoholics in the Midwest can keep your front-engine Corvette’s in your barns! Hahahahahaha

    Reply
    1. Please stop watching Fox and One America. West coasters and Liberal Mass tax hikers? What does that have to do with anything. Where do you live by the way?

      Reply
      1. You’re not regular here, mate. I live in California, and I love triggering rightwingnuts for fun, and I find more of them here on GMA comments than anywhere else, which is a great pity because GMA Journalists are the best in the industry and carefully keep their reportage free from partisanship. Doesn’t stop the commenters down here accusing them of the same thing you just accused me of, though…

        Reply
      2. Glenn He claims he is one of yours.

        But read his post and you will not claim him either.

        Reply
        1. You’re so right Scott3, and I don’t mean that as a taunt, honestly, people don’t tend to claim to be part of my team, blindly following my whims simply because somebody (with money) put me on the TV for them, nope.

          I write what I think. Like Pepe the Frog, a hero of those very rightwingers that they idolize so highly. Feels good to me! I don’t have to do what some “team” tells me to do, I’m like George Washington and Ben Franklin wanted for Americans – I’m free !

          So are you Scott3. Enjoy it.

          Reply
      3. Please stop being a whiny left-wing CNN, New York Times, WaPo watching/ reading sore loser. You might remember those “news” outlets claimed Hillary had a 96% chance of winning. We all know how that turned out.

        Election is over. President Trump won…you list. Time to Move On little man.

        Reply
    2. Everyone is leaving liberal lefty California for Red States like Texas because it is a cesspool of violence, corruption, feces on the streets, homelessness, andfar left-wing craziness.

      I thank God for our President everyday when I read your crap.

      Reply
    3. Everyday I wake up with a HUGE smile on my face knowing we have a strong and effective leader of our country once again…And it doesn’t hurt that auto manufacturing is returning to our country in droves with lots of good jobs with it. 4.2% GDP growth, record unemployment, economy firing on all cylinders and everyone but the extremist leftist losers in great spirits.

      What a wonderful world. ..

      Reply
  2. The new C8 will have better sales numbers then the C7. If the C8 stays close to the same price as the C7 then GM wont be able to make them fast enough.

    Reply
    1. I wouldn’t be so fast to call the Mid Engine Corvette the C8.

      The same goes for its price. Though a ME layout doesn’t cost any more than any other layout to engineer or to build, I have reason to believe it will not be as affordable as the C7.

      Remember that rumor about a Corvette family? It holds water.

      Reply
    2. It won’t sell as well, mainly because it will cost more, but also because a big chunk of the Corvette customer base won’t know where to store their golf clubs. And they are going to raise hell, but this is balls out the right thing to do. They’re revolutionizing a sacred cow, so props to GM for making a risky decision. The 6th gens price increase was also partially motivated by long-term planning to give front engine Corvette owner a chance to stay in the family.

      Reply
  3. Only pipe dream would be 55K price point. 75K, maybe

    Reply
  4. The story when it comes out will be an interesting tale as this plan as we have seen has been in the works for a long time. I had read long ago that the mid engine program while delayed never stopped. They ran it along side the C7 till they got the go ahead.

    There have been many clues around that they had been working on this.

    Long ago there was a mile spotted in a California made of C6 parts many considered a tuner car mule. Another later was the Mid engine mile in NYC that was spotted with the engine in the back, Corvette wheels and Ferrari tail lamps splitting a ne C7 emblem.

    When they talk think many will be shocked how much of their work was in plain sight but many just over looked it.

    I see the C7 lasting about 3 years GM will move fully over to the mid engine as they. Can not afford to have more than one sports car splitting up sales.

    The C7 sales will stall much as the new car arrives like any other old C body has. Even now the sales are stagnate as people await the C8.

    Now a small Buick or Cadillac Rosdster would be fine as it would not compete with a Chevy and it will be easier to sell at low volumes at a higher than Chevy price.

    The Corvette like any other car needs to make money and a buisness case. To delete sales over a number of different platform models with two seats would be a disaster.

    The Corvette sales run in cycles. The first couple years they start strong with base models. They introduce higher performance models for the next few years with special editions to drive sales. Then they work to replace the model as sales begin to drop. The history is clear.

    A cheap small roadster would hurt base Corvette sales and like the Solstice would start strong then settle in the end to 10k units at best.

    The reality we all must understand is a two seat car is a car everyone loves but few can live with. There is a limited market and limited number of buyers.

    Most cheap sports cars last only 10 years or less. RX7, 280 z, MR2 twice etc they and others all died. The Vette and Miat are two acceptions. This was explained to me by someone from GM that had connections to the. Or Vette program.

    A base engine car will not be $55k but it will be $65-70k.

    The C7 is at the end of the line Tadge stated there is little more to get out of it. Note too there has been no hints or mules of any other sports cars other than the car that is coming.

    It would be shocking to see anything else.

    Also they can ill afford to invade the Camaro price range with their sagging sales.

    Reply
  5. While part of me hears Etta James singing ‘At Last’; I still wonders whether building a mid-engine Corvette a necessity as Ferrari builds the Portofino which is a front engine 2+2 sports coupe.

    Reply
    1. The Portofino is a 2+2 only for children or legless adults. It also is a $215k entry level Ferrari. That means they can get away with 3000 or less units sold easily.

      Ferrari is a sports car company they have to live on sports cars. Chevy is a value leader auto company that lives on trucks/CUV sales and fills in with autos.

      The Corvette is an image car that has to make money. To do so it has to turn volume and many shared as many parts as possible. unlike Ferrari that does it on high prices and low volume.

      The Corvette is the odd one out here as it is sold differently and treated differently than most any other sports car. It’s position in the market is different than any other car out there. GM is not going to screw too much with this.

      The only reason for the move to mid engine was one it is the only way to make it perform better. The other is it will make a hybrid system much easier to install.

      The C7 has nearly no room for anything.

      Tadge stated they tried to do AWD for the ZR but there was no place to put it. That comment was a big clue what to expect in the new car as an option.

      Reply
  6. This time it lives!

    Reply
  7. Bring on the mid engine corvette and make it affordable! I’m ready for my new corvette now!

    Reply
  8. It’s ugly as f***

    Reply
  9. To this day the C5 has one of the best looking rear ends and any real man can say that is very important !! How many Women over the years have been turned to the scrap heap because they didn’t have an attractive rear?

    Reply
  10. I think the C5’s big ungainly butt is hideous. Worse part of the car by far and the “backbone” architecture still plagues the C7.

    Reply
    1. Where do you think transmission is? The ass end needs to be like that to cover up everything that is in the back half of the car.

      I cant believe people have a problem with the back end of any Corvette

      Reply
  11. What will be interesting is will they finally go coil over on all corners and lose the transverse leaf.

    Reply
  12. Seems like it took a do or die situation to finally get the mid-engine Corvette on track.

    Nowhere is it more evident than the fact that the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE is nipping at the Corvette’s heels for a lot less $$. If they don’t go to a mid-engine design, they risk cannibalizing the next one.

    It is also sad to see the top-tier Corvette currently outclassed by its European rivals — hopefully the new model will be able to hang with the best in the world.

    Reply

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