The 1973 mid-engine Corvette “Aerovette” was another concept developed by GM in a line of experimental prototypes as part of the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) program, where engineers tested various engine placements and chassis layouts – and most often a mid-engine setup. We’ve captured some exclusive shots of the Aerovette at an outdoor auto show to enjoy.
Unlike many other concepts, the Aerovette was actually approved for production for the 1980 model year. But drivers the world over would have to wait four more decades before getting the Chevy Corvette C8, which debuted in 2019 for the 2020 model year as the first-ever production mid-engine version of America’s sports car.
Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to see how the Aerovette almost won that claim to fame.
Zora Arkus-Duntov was a Chevy staff engineer, designer, and race car driver who started development of the CERV I in 1959, which was unveiled to the public at the Riverside International Raceway in November 1960 as GM’s first mid-engine effort. While Harley Earl designed the Corvette and has been called the “Father of the Corvette,” that title is most often attributed to Duntov.
Duntov described the CERV I as “a design without limit,” saying that it was an “admirable tool” to describe what Chevy should apply to the Corvette. The design was equipped with no less than seven different engine combinations, with the original being a Chevy small block V8 Duntov had helped to develop alongside Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole.
About a decade later, the 1971 Corvette XP-882 was the prototype that nearly ushered in our mid-engine dreams. It looked production-ready, but was nothing more than a concept. Its design was an evolution of the C3 Corvette body, with the cab moved forward to accommodate the engine being moved behind the driver, which resulted in a more rounded profile.
In 1972, development work resumed on the XP-882, labeled the XP-895. Unexpectedly, the small block V8 was replaced with a transverse-mounted four-rotor Wankel engine created from combining a pair of prototype two-rotor engines that had been developed for the Chevy Vega.
The body was redesigned again into what became the Aerovette, and a prototype with the 420-horsepower four-rotor Wankel was featured in a GM video before that engine went the way of the Vega, being axed due to soaring fuel prices. Ironically, a 400 cubic-inch/6.6L V8 was selected to replace it – not exactly a fuel-sipper. In 1973, the Aerovette received the green light for production for the 1980 model year, but powered by GM’s vaunted small block 350 cubic-inch/5.7L V8, mated to a Turbo Hydramatic transmission.
But as before, the relatively high cost of production and small perceived benefit to performance, along with historically poor sales of imported mid-engine cars in the U.S., led GM to cancel the XP-895 Aerovette.
The 1973 Corvette Aerovette Experimental resides today in the GM Heritage Center. Here is a close-up look at this production-ready version with the V8 and see how it compares to Vettes of the past and the current C8 Corvette.
The front of the Aerovette mirrors the design of the C3 Corvette, especially the later years when the chrome bumper was dropped. This is not surprising since the Aerovette was designed while the C3 was in production. The design of course includes hidden headlights, the V-shaped and pointed front, and long creased hood – though proportionally the hood is not quite as long as other Vettes since this is a mid-engine car. Near the top of the hood, we find two circles along with two sets of small vent slits above and outside of those.
It also features a deep-V windshield, angled at 72 degrees, as part of the greenhouse that wraps around the sides. GM claimed a “low coefficient of drag of 0.325,” though most vehicles these days are actually well below that, including sedans.
Below the front end are two wide grille sections – even though this is a mid-engine Corvette – with square fog lights set behind the louvers.
The side of the Aerovette reveals an interesting departure from past concepts and all production Corvettes. First, it featured bi-wing gull-wing doors. The doors were opened using hidden handles down in the center of the door and then manually lifted up. That old GM video made the claim, “exit and entrance is simple.”
Second, it had fixed side windows to reduce body weight. Another measure included stationary power seats that could only move up and down, accompanied by power pedals that could be adjusted to fit the driver, and a steering column, wheel, and instrumentation panel that could be manually adjusted by the driver “in a single motion.” Further weight reduction came from a steel and aluminum body of birdcage construction with fiberglass skin. Inside, it featured an on-board computer system and fully digital instrument cluster accessed by control on the center console.
The design also features a soft crease that wraps all the way around the car, but more pronounced than the C3 Corvette. And flared fenders that harken to the C3 house Corvette-esque alloy wheels. In front of the rear wheels, down low, is an intake vent, but much less pronounced than the higher, larger side vents of the C8.
The side profile reveals a soft, symmetrical curve from bumper-to-bumper, with equal front and rear proportions afforded by moving the engine from the front toward the middle of the vehicle. It was a modern iteration of the Corvette of its time.
Out back, the design of the Aerovette is all Vette, from the C3 generation onward, but is longer and sweeps back more since this is a mid-engine iteration. That also means that this is not a hatchback like other Vettes.
Also, where the rear quarter glass window would be, the car features open glass louvers to allow the venting of engine heat. An upright rear glass inside separates the engine from the passenger compartment, and a rear glass out back covers the small-block V8 engine, proudly displaying it like the C8 Corvette does. This model features chrome valve covers and a small air filter cover with the Corvette prominently displayed on it. Underneath the engine cover window are two rows of long, horizontal rectangles going down to the end of the engine hatch. Below that is a small trunk.
Very low in the back are two blacked-out taillights, one on each side, which is a departure from every other Vette. You’ll find no connection here to the telltale four taillights of every other Corvette. It also reveals four center exhaust pipes like the C7 Corvette, but these are straight chrome pipes coming out from underneath without a diffuser.
Overall, the design of the Aerovette lives up to its name, clearly showing a heritage to the Corvette. That makes sense as the Aerovette was at one point green-lighted for production as our first-ever mid-engine Vette – a vision finally realized in the C8 Corvette Stingray.
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Comments
Being a young man during this time period, the Aerovette would have been a failure. To radical of a design, too euro look, and the technology at the time was not up to snuff. I wonder if anyone that worked on this model was around during the C8 development? It surely was a great concept exercise.
This was one of GM Design head Bill Mitchell’s favorite cars, and he lobbied hard to get it into production for 1980. But he hit a wall…mandatory retirement at age 65. On leaving the job, he said of the 4 Rotor/Aerovette, “this is one of the most beautiful cars ever, but without me to push them, it’s going nowhere.”
And sadly, he was right.
Jay S,
Indeed. Mitchell was right. GM’s design leadership heritage is mostly due to Mitchell’s good taste, his willingness to take a risk, and, most of all, the fights he was willing to engage in to push the corporation for what he wanted. Without him, we get the horrific C8. Mitchell would be mortified. While the technical side of gm finally produced the tour-de-force mid-engined car Zora and Bill so long championed, they were massively let down by Mike Simcoe on the disjointed and overwrought visuals.
The Aerovette is clean, restrained, elegant and relies on crisply sculptured form, rather than tacked-on vents and slots to make a statement. It’s the antithesis of the C8. Simply a masterpiece and clearly a Mitchell design that is timeless. The years haven’t dated its sheer shape one bit.
As Mitchell was heading for the exits, it was reported that GM was tapping Irv Rybicki as his replacement and the reason cited for his selection was his willingness to work with engineering and accounting rather than butting heads with them as Mitchell had done. After 25 years of dealing with Mitchell’s outbursts and intransigence, GM was looking for more peace. They got it with Irv but along with it came a massive drop-on in the beauty of their cars beginning with any new design launched after 1981. Their era of GM being a design trendsetter simply ended. Today’s gm no doubt still has talented people in the design ranks but they’re useless without a fighter and someone with the good taste to select the knockout designs for production. Bill Mitchell is, in my opinion, the best thing that ever happened to GM.
Kudos to the photographer/lighting designer who shot the image of the silver C8 used in the body of the article. That is as pretty as a C8 will ever look. And I like the current purposeful, functional and aggressive look well enough. But this is a great example of putting time and talent into photography before dumping it into photoshop for cleanup.
In hind sight I believe the Corvette may have not been here today as it moved mid engine before the C8.
Back in the 80’s GM supported the car but not like it does today. The would have treated it more like the Fiero with off the shelf parts and not funded it as they are today.
GM was pinching pennies back then as they too several decades to go broke. Let’s face it the saddled the C3 of this era one year with a Vega steering wheel.
Even the C7 was to have been a mid engine. Lutz saved the car by just going to an update as he knew they needed a more stable GM to support the C8 into.
It is sad it had to take this long but I feel the C5-7 earned enough rep and trust to garner the funding they needed for the C8.
GM while not perfect today is a long ways working as one vs the past where it was every division for itself and then corporate meddling where they had no clue what to do.
This is what killed Pontiac as they really had no idea what to do with them. They gutted their engineering to where they were just a styling studio building on corporate platforms. They may have looked better but they really were not any better than any other GM vehicle at this point.
GM in the late 70’s and 80’s was demanding the death of the V8. It was so real the Corvette team built a Citation with two V6 engines. One in the front one in the back. This was considered an option around the no V8 demand. Imagine the Mid Engine surviving that kind of corporate thinking.
Looks fantastic
A beautiful car and clearly has a nod to the past, and has fantastic futuristic styling. It would have been a very modern and advanced car in 1980 and beyond, it is sad to realize this could never happen.
Would’ve been pretty hot smelly and noisy with that huge V8 on the back seat.
For sure. They should have used a crate motor.
I’d like to know what show GM thought enough of to bring almost all the significant Corvette concepts of the past 30-40 years. Where and when, please.
Thanks.
C8.R, In fact, C7 was to be mid-engine when GM’s massive financial problems erupted, largely due to consumer inability to get credit to buy cars. Lutz had to act, probably believing the entire Corvette program would be dumped at the behest of the Federal overseers in the bankruptcy case, if he insisted on the massive spending for a whole new architecture.
According to the Corvette team, he told them, “If I catch any of you working on a mid-engine car, you’ll be fired!”
Result: front-engined C7.
The success of the C8 was built on the building prototypes of the past. What worked and not work is a big learning curve and I’m sure it was expensive. No doubt the C8 was built on computer modeling to get things right and to get the fit and finish needed. I do not believe it was achievable for a C7 mid engine.