As Chevrolet’s mid-engine Corvette draws closer to its momentous unveiling, likely at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, yet another prototype has been spied in full camouflage near Germany’s Nürburgring, with the passengers side door open, the hood up, and someone hovering over the engine as the test driver has a chat. Our spy photographer seems to have caught the car just prior to a run around the infamous Nordschleife, as nearby is what appears to be a GM support vehicle, with a couple of stacks of spare wheels and tires on-hand.
Honestly, there isn’t very much we can take away from these photos; we already knew the engine was located back behind the driver there, and mid-engine Corvette prototypes have been popping up in spy photos and video clips taken at the Nürburgring from time immemorial. But hey, it’s our first time seeing the hood up on one of these prototypes, so that’s new.
It appears to be quite a large hood, too. It’s still unknown exactly what the forthcoming mid-engine Corvette will call upon for motivation, but one pervasive rumor from the typically-trustworthy Car and Driver holds that the car will launch with a 500-horsepower version of the 6.2-liter V8 small-block LT1 engine. Eventually, the publication suggests, the car will add 600- and 800-horsepower versions of a high-revving, 5.5-liter DOHC V8, the more potent of which will employ a pair of turbochargers to reach its lofty power goals.
All of that sounds plausible. Granted, extracting 500-or-so horsepower from a sixteen-valve pushrod V8 displacing 6.2 liters, while offering exactly the sort of durability and reliability that GM demands from its road cars, could be a bit of a tall order. So might wringing nearly 110 horsepower-per-liter out of a naturally-aspirated factory 5.5-liter V8, even if it is a high-revving DOHC design. Those numbers are well within the range of what’s physically possible, but, well, there’s a reason racing engines seldom come with a five-year/60k-mile warranty.
Yet GM appears to have a renewed interest in dual-overhead-cam V8 engines, if the new Cadillac 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 LTA engine (named “Blackwing”) is any indication, and that mill could give GM an architecture to work with in developing the larger DOHC Corvette V8s. If true, the mid-engine Corvette might need about as large a hood as it can get, as DOHC engines tend to be nowhere near as space-efficient as their cam-in-block counterparts. Ever seen an LS next to Ford’s “Coyote” V8?
Stay tuned for even more great mid-engine Corvette news.
Comments
Actually, I find this really interesting. Last year, there was a Chevy dealer guy who posted a video on YouTube where he had pictures of body panels belonging to the upcoming Mid-Engine Corvette (or so he claimed). What he showed us was rear quarter panels, and he seemed to indicate that those parts would also lift up when the rear hood cover was lifted. According to this pic, however, it’s just a top cover that goes up and the quarter panel portions don’t go up with it.
Check the following YouTube link:
The panels are shown way towards the end of the vid. In my opinion having the rear quarter panels lift up as well would have been a very questionable choice in design. So I’m happy that it appears they didn’t actually do that.
I watched the video and I have no idea where he got the idea that they would lift up. It’d be as annoying as the “roof- on the door” design of the original Ford GT must have been.
Image is at least a couple months old. Anyways it is a pretty big Rear opening fort he engine as has been talked about for on mostly You Tube sites. Some think that GM has somehow figured out a way to not only package the engine bay but a real size trunk as well. January will be interesting. I cannot wait to get to Detroit.
Looks like a $170,000 Chevy to me.
I was just musing with a friend that GM should have done this 25 years ago. Today, many will see a gasoline supercar as socially irresponsible and question why GM isn’t putting its more of its engineering resources into building zero emission cars. Let’s don’t be surprised if Mary kills the program before it makes it to the market.
“All of that sounds plausible. Granted, extracting 500-or-so horsepower from a sixteen-valve pushrod V8 displacing 6.2 liters, while offering exactly the sort of durability and reliability that GM demands from its road cars, could be a bit of a tall order. So might wringing nearly 110 horsepower-per-liter out of a naturally-aspirated factory 5.5-liter V8, even if it is a high-revving DOHC design. Those numbers are well within the range of what’s physically possible, but, well, there’s a reason racing engines seldom come with a five-year/60k-mile warranty.”
Ford does this with its Voodoo V8 in the GT350. The standard 5.0 in the mustang GT makes 460hp. The AMG M156 makes north of 500hp out of 6.2 NA liters. All 3 are DOHC designs
It is fair to say that the current 470 hp in a 6.2 OHV LT1 is well below what would last and what it is capable of.
eco6364 Sounds like you rrreeeaaallllllyyy under estimate the LS engines performance potential and it’s durability. There’s a reason why a lot of tuners and Super Car builders like Hennessey to name just one of many uses the LS engines to make a liveable and reliable and easy 1,500 horsepower for his next 300 MPH Hypercar, The F5.
Underestimate? I basically say
“It is fair to say that the current 470 hp in a 6.2 OHV LT1 is well below what would last and what it is capable of.”
There is no other family of engines out there that will really respond to numerous performance upgrades and will last.
It is not like GM does not have motorsports history with high stressed, high HP engines that go on to finish and in a lot of cases win 24 hour races.
Jonny Lieberman of Motortrend thinks the small block v8 is Chevy’s core competency.
@ eoc6364
…ROFL at your mindless comments. You have “0” clue what you’re talking about.
Yup I have zero clue even-though ive owned and modified
2008 and a 2011 Corvette
2004 GTO
2015 SS
2009 G8
GM could offer a LT1 with over 500hp right now that would last. The oHV is a known and proven design. If I was designing these thigns, the Grand Sport would have made at least 525 HP to help differentiate it from the Stingray and to fill the gap between the Stingray and the Z06
I agree with you 100%. I don’t believe they understand what your stating. IF Chevy would have used it’s current LT376/535 crate engine in the Grand Sport you would have seen your 525hp +10hp w/470tq, and it would have filled the gap between the Stingray and Z06, as you stated. It even comes with a 2yr, 50k warranty and GM Performance doesn’t offer crate engines that won’t last so it could have easily been a regular production engine in the GS while having more HP/TQ than the DOHC 5.2 Voodoo’s 526hp/429tq. That kind of comparison shows how effective DOHC’s produce HP yet lose TQ to OHV engines.
Some people just don’t grasp the math or perhaps the reality of what the facts are. Maybe they just like ignorance and verbally inflammatory trolling…..