The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette made splashdown in the summer of 2019, dropping cover after years of speculation and hype. However, the story behind the new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette’s development includes far more than just leaks and spy photos, as outlined by the Vette’s Chief Engineer, Tadge Juechter, in a recent interview with Autoline After Hours.
During the interview, Juechter talks about the relationship the development team had with Corvette Racing, saying that the racers helped a good deal with regard to thermal modeling, vehicle dynamics, and weight distribution. Juechter also said that that the race-spec C8.R was developed in parallel to the street car in order to make it as competitive as possible come race day.
“We’re super close to the race team,” Juechter said. “We have joint meetings all the time, talking about various aspects on the vehicle design. It’s almost like one team at this point.”
Later, Juechter is asked how his team kept the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette project a secret. Juechter responds with an incredulous laugh, saying that he felt as though the car was front-page news almost the entire time it was in development.
“That was actually one thing we knew right from the beginning, is we weren’t going to be able to keep it a secret,” Juechter said, especially with regard to the mid-engine proportions. To address the issue, the development team talked about adding a big nose to the front of the test cars, while also utilizing a Holden Ute as a test mule to make it “at least questionable what it was.”
However, given the constraints of aero camouflage, not to mention advances in digital rendering, Juechter admits that he knew folks would know what the new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette would look like prior to its release.
“The interior, I think, was a big surprise to people,” Juechter adds.
Later in the interview, the hosts ask Juechter how long he worked on the Chevrolet Corvette C8, from the initial proposal to the final product.
According to Juechter, a mid-engine Vette was considered a workable product from the Corvette C6 onwards, and was driven largely by the performance limitations of a front-engine, RWD layout. Pratt & Miller was enlisted to create models using raw data to simulate lap times, and proved that a mid-engine layout would be superior with regard to weight distribution. The ideal was determined to be around 40/60 front-to-rear, similar to a Formula 1 car.
“There’s a sweet spot, around here,” Juechter says, pointing to the C8, “that is great for race cars.”
However, progress was stymied by individuals inside General Motors that didn’t see a need to change the Chevrolet Corvette platform, given its sales success.
Nevertheless, Juechter pursued the idea, and worked towards implementation for the seventh-generation vehicle. Then the 2008 Financial Crises hit, and the project was once again delayed. Luckily, when the opportunity to for a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette once again presented itself, the lessons learned prior were still applicable.
Juechter is also asked if consideration was ever given to parallel production of both a mid-engine version and front-engine version of the Corvette. Juechter confirms the idea was indeed floated, but by the time the C8 took shape, the idea of doing two different platforms was ditched, given how good the C8 turned out.
“People are saying, ‘Oh, you’re so brave doing [a mid-engine Corvette],'” Juechter said. “We didn’t have a choice. We had to do this.”
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Comments
Chevrolet’s C8 Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter could have been a spy because I still remember Juechter telling the guys on AutolineTV that if General Motors was developing a mid-engine car, Juechter said of not knowing anything about it and proposed that the prototypes seen could be a production variant of Cadillac’s Cien mid-engine concept car.
More like a politician than spy with convincing lies lol!
If you are referring to Autoline After Hours: Episode 278, Tadge never proposed it was a Cadillac. The hosts of the show did that. Tadge simply said “…I know no such car exists…” when the hosts said “Corvette Duntov” (starting at about 27 minutes in). Later in the episode after Tadge leaves, they talk about it more and say it’s probably a Cadillac, and Tadge is no longer on the show at this point.
There was another episode where the hosts again proposed the mid-engine car was a Cadillac, and Tadge replied with something along the lines of “I can’t speak to what Cadillac is or is not working on…”
The truth is the Corvette team has had a long history of playing games.
The C6 was driven around under a Camaro body and they made sure it was seen. They drop hints often that are not accidental. The drive in parts of the proving grounds where they know they can be seen.
I am still waiting to hear about the Malibu Mule that was driven in NYC with an engine in the back with new C7 wheels and Ferrari tail lamps. Then there was the a Corvette flags on the back. That was not a cheap prank for anyone but GM. I suspect it was for driveline testing since they could not take the cars out at that point in time.
Even back ion the C4 they rigged up a number of phony things to mess with the media.
To be honest it is next to impossible to leave many surprises anymore but they did well with this car.
Just look at all the people fooled here that were convinced there was a Cadillac version. There never was one. JDN even said he would love to do one but there was nothing to it.
The standard line anymore is sSorry we don’t discuss future products. The true lies come from the folks they fool.
His stories about the development necessity change quite often
Now that the car appears to be a wild success, where are all the naysayers?
The Corvette was not priced right. The first two years the millionaires are grabbing all the C-8s that GM can produce. They paid Ferrari $400,000 for their sports car. many of the first-year production will go overseas to buyers that place multi offers in and to individuals like millionaire Jay Leno who paid the Europeans a lot more for the autos in his portfolio. GM could easily get $150,000 for the first two years and then roll back price in the third year to keep the car at full demand and still make a huge profit. Average Americans will not be able to get one until the third year anyway. Make the huge profit off the millionaires that used their leverage to get their orders in first.
GM can clean up on early multi-millionaires buyers, Hell some of them paid Ferrari $400,000 for their Ferrari. Why should GM let them in at $70,000 to $80,000 when they want to jump to the front of the line. Make them pay to jump ahead of the average CHEVROLET guy. I have purchased or leased 5 Chevrolets over the last 15 years. Now I can not get one because all the filthy rich guys using leverage to jump to the front of the line when they have not supported the Chevy brand over the last 20 years. Make them pay now over the first two years, and then GM can bring the price back down in 3 to 4 years when the hype has calm down so the average Chevrolet guy can keep the car in high demand. I will be happy to pay $90,000 in 3 years when I will get a chance to order one. But clean up on these non-Chevrolet guys that all a sudden want to jump over and get the hottest auto on the planet that goes by the name Chevrolet.
Your problem is with dealers and not GM.
To do what you want, GM would need to eliminate dealers and sell direct like Tesla. That crap didn’t happen when people pre-ordered 400,000 Model 3s.
Tesla currently has 250,000 Cyber trucks ordered. Everybody is buying at list.
That’s why they call them stealerships.
@Thirsten, GM has the right to set their price by the old law (supply and demand) The demand is extremely high, and these really non-Chevrolet guys want to jump in and grab all the new editions up in the first two years of production, well make them pay up. They paid a premium for Aston Martin, make them pay a premium for this Chevrolet. They paid a premium for Mercedes sl amg, This Corvette match up to all the names mentioned above, GM should raise the price right now. It is Mary Barra’s obligation to get the most for the shareholders of GM. Raise the damn price. Mary!! Don’t let these guys come in and get this car for $70,000 when GM can get much more the first two years.