General Motors fans are understandably excited for the upcoming mid engine Corvette C8.
The idea of moving the Corvette to a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout has been discussed within GM for over 50 years now. The new platform will allow the Corvette team to extract more performance out of the car and help compete with increasingly stout competition from brands like Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren on both the road and the racetrack.
Mid Engine C8 Corvette Prototype
A car enthusiast recently spotted a mid engine Corvette C8 prototype out and about on the road and couldn’t contain his excitement, exclaiming that the car looks like a “McLaren” or a “Ferrari” and sounding rather bewildered whilst saying it. We get the feeling that many less-than-knowledgeable motorists will be mistaking the mid-engine Corvette for exotic cars like this. This actually may be the only downside to the mid-rear platform – modern-day mid-engine cars have a tendency to look quite similar to one another, in our opinion.
C8 Corvette Logo
We won’t get too ahead of ourselves with regard to the Corvette C8’s looks, though. The car has yet to make its official debut and the camouflage applied to prototypes like the one pictured in the video above can actually be quite deceptive.
We won’t have to wait much longer for to see the mid engine Corvette C8 in full, either. Chevrolet is set to debut the car during a special event in California on July 18th, at which point we’ll have all the official details on it. For now, you can listen to a Corvette fan geek out over the car in the video above.
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Comments
Some may mistake the new car for something else but most will know it is a Corvette and the excitement will be as great as it was for the 1963 C2.
The goal of the car is to extract the most performance possible for the price. Also to stir the emotions of younger people that can be made into Corvette buyers.
Let’s face it The posters on the wall of many bedrooms are not ZR1’s no matter how good it is.
The the youth will be attracted to it, the mid age will begin to consider it again and the old owners will move to it by a majority.
The exotic nature, the massive performance at a price much less than the others and just a little higher than the present car will make this car a possible dream for many new and even more in 10 years.
Instead of a 170 mph street legal corvette a 200+ mph will be available. Just hope it does not become a poor mans Ferrari.
“It’s badass, it’s like a McLaren, it’s like a Ferrari.”
Correct, it’s not at all like a Corvette. What does not much higher cost mean? $30K more on the low side? Too much, Corvette is Wal Mart, if it wasn’t for price, people would go elsewhere.
To those making fun of people saying there should be a V8 in the new FWD Blazer: It actually WOULD be possible, yet silly, as it would require major changes in engineering and be cost prohibitive. Just like this mid engine Corvette…
“if it wasn’t for price, people would go elsewhere”.
Because not everyone buys a sports car for the performance. Most stupid rich people buy them for vanity sake, it a piece of jewelry, a bank account balance statement they want everyone to see.
That’s a good thing because most of them would be terrified if they were to take them to a race track. Why would they anyway, there wouldn’t be anyone to try to impress.
Yet while everyone complains about Walmart they all shop at Walmart.
The most for a dollar is what the majority reach for.
Two things you miss on the Corvette going mid engine. For one nearly the same engineering goes into it no matter where the engine is. Two this cars development also has been stretched out over 12 years.
“Correct, it’s not at all like a Corvette.”
But that man knew it was a Corvette just by looking at it. He knew it, and announced it by name to others. Maybe he knows this is a Corvette by the NYC press stunt or the countless spy photos, but him and hundreds of thousands of other people know this car to be a Corvette.
Furthermore, I don’t think a $30K increase is too outlandish for something that them man in the video said was “badass”. Good things do cost good money, and clean sheet designs like the C8 can command as much if it’s getting mentioned in the same breath as Ferrari and McLaren.
Most everyone at NCM Bash knew there was going to be a C8 appearance!
Where do you get this crazy $30,000 extra cost?
The C8 will debute at under $65K. This is known.
“The C8 will debute at under $65K. This is known.”
Proof? A link to where this is public knowledge would be great.
There will be an affordable version with a more traditional Corvette engine and a higher level version with the monster TT V8. That should help spread the cost of the new mid-engine platform. The Corvette will have a higher base price but it won’t start at $100k.
GM is in a good position now with all the current tech.
Base model electric front drive.
Base model rear drive gas.. manual.
Then the AWD models..
But the body styling is not correct IMO.
Moving into exotic car relm requires radical Italian styling or sadate Porsche like function.
Wait until you see the actual C8 before judging the styling. I have seen it and can say definitively that you’ll never figure out the real car from the PPVs in the wild. The camo is top notch, with lots of padding and faux panels to disrupt not only the lines but the proportions.
The real C8? It’s the most beautiful car to come out of GM design studio in ages. In fact I can scarcely believe it was designed at GM given some of their recent efforts. I suspect they had outside help on the design.
Can’t believe how crazy my video has gotten!!!!
This is the type of response that the Chevrolet C8 Corvette will get for at least a couple of years given that this isn’t just a new Corvette, this is the first of a new type of Corvette as this will be a production mid-engine Corvette.
That’s when I will start looking for my C8. In ’16 dealers told me that the C7 “craze” had slowed down. We’ll see if that happens to the C8.
With the Corvette moving to a mid-engine layout I wonder how much room that leaves GM with the Camaro? Before hand the Camaro could not surpass the Corvette in terms of performance although they did in some circumstances. I think this would give the Camaro team some breathing room. With a new Camaro platform and their power output, because the Corvette was maxing out in terms of power that could be handled with a front wheel drive car. I mean the new ZR1 is great, but it was never outclassed by the Porsche like it is today time wise. The older 911’s wouldn’t be in the same group when talking about the top fastest cars. The new GT2 and GT3’s they have out matched the Corvette in my opinion not that the ZR1 is a bad car because it is absolutely great but Corvette was on top of all other automakers when it came to lap times save a couple. The mid-engine layout does look so similar to others but in terms of performance I think it will be great. Also you’ll get a trained eye especially enthusiast from a distance.
Front engine not front wheel drive. ?
There won’t be another Camaro generation. The Camaro team is disbanded, with Chief engineer Oppenheiser booted to a mangement position in which he does not oversee the development of any single vehicle, and the rest of the engineers reassigned to various other projects.
Yeah I had a feeling something like that would happen. I mean it was a perfect opportunity to make a great Camaro. The mustang can be great and not interfere with the Ford GT and I know that’s kind of a different comparison but it is true.
It’s like a McLaren, it’s like a Ferrari. Dude it’s better than that, it’s like a Chevy!
“like a “McLaren” or a “Ferrari””
Meanwhile the rest of the Chevy (outside of Trucks and Camaro) “looks like a piece of trash, $hit, Chinese”…… C’mon Chevy give us some practical performance again….
I never have understood why the Corvette always gets “compared” to a Ferrari or Lamborghini. I have followed manufacture and endurance racing for years, the last think I want is a Ferrari or Lamborghini.
And while I’m at it, since we’re discussing the three mentioned in the video, I’m guessing that nor Enzo, Ferruccio or Zora ever said, “Gosh, I can’t wait for someone to park it in a garage!” (And never drive it)