GM will build a Mid Engine Corvette
- Thread starter Lambo
- Start date
"Apparently, Chevrolet has decided that America is finally ready."
Oh, puhleeeeeeeeeze...America has been "ready" for a mid-engine 'Vette - and has been expecting one - SINCE AT LEAST 1970. The reason I bought my Ford GT was because IT was the car the Corvette should have been a long time ago. I got tired of waiting...
...now, let's just hope G.M. doesn't screw the whole thing up by choosing to power it with some sort of N/A, T.T., or S/C 'two cubic inch' V6...
o: 'Vettes are V8 cars. Period.
Oh, puhleeeeeeeeeze...America has been "ready" for a mid-engine 'Vette - and has been expecting one - SINCE AT LEAST 1970. The reason I bought my Ford GT was because IT was the car the Corvette should have been a long time ago. I got tired of waiting...
...now, let's just hope G.M. doesn't screw the whole thing up by choosing to power it with some sort of N/A, T.T., or S/C 'two cubic inch' V6...
o: 'Vettes are V8 cars. Period.
"Apparently, Chevrolet has decided that America is finally ready."
Oh, puhleeeeeeeeeze...America has been "ready" for a mid-engine 'Vette - and has been expecting one - SINCE AT LEAST 1970. The reason I bought my Ford GT was because IT was the car the Corvette should have been a long time ago. I got tired of waiting...
...now, let's just hope G.M. doesn't screw the whole thing up by choosing to power it with some sort of N/A, T.T., or S/C 'two cubic inch' V6...
Love to know what your blood pressure looks like at times Larry! Now where is that Ronald Earp fella that reckoned it will never happen...:thumbsup:
There have been mule cars driving around here for a loooong time.....
btw Larry TT too :lipsrsealed:
btw Larry TT too :lipsrsealed:
Ron Earp
Admin
Well blow me down. Really, I'd like that.
So no more front engine vette? The mid-engine vette is all that will remain?
As we discussed on the other thread, having a low-volume mid-engine Corvette XYZ doesn't count for the Corvette going mid-engined. A line of standard front engine Corvettes, along with a mid-engined special edition doesn't cut it. Call me out when all Corvettes are mid-engined.
So no more front engine vette? The mid-engine vette is all that will remain?
As we discussed on the other thread, having a low-volume mid-engine Corvette XYZ doesn't count for the Corvette going mid-engined. A line of standard front engine Corvettes, along with a mid-engined special edition doesn't cut it. Call me out when all Corvettes are mid-engined.
Robert S.
GT40s Supporter
As a long time Vet enthusiast and current owner of two, I am extremely excited about this possibility!
Mid-Engine Corvette ZR1 To Bow In 2017, Cost $150k
Work has commenced on the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette, the C8, and word on the street is that the car will ride on a new mid-engine platform under development at General Motors Company [NYSE:GM]. While the C8 isn’t due until the end of the decade, a car riding on its platform may appear much sooner than that.
No, we’re not talking about the new sports car recently hinted at by Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen, although it is a distinct possibility Cadillac may eventually launch a car based on the new mid-engine platform. No, we’re talking about a new generation of the Corvette ZR1, which Car and Driver reports may be launched as early as the 2017 model year and sport a price tag of around $150,000.
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This means that while it’s technically a C8, the new ZR1 will be sold alongside the current C7 Corvette for its first years on the market. Eventually, the C7 Corvette will be replaced by the new C8 Corvette, with all the variants being based on the mid-engine platform. Yes, even the base ‘Vette. The reason for the platform’s quick gestation is because GM reportedly started working on a mid-engine Corvette prior to its bankruptcy in 2009, and current Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter is said to be one of the key people involved in the original project. We also hear that the basis for the new platform will be the C7 Corvette’s aluminum spaceframe structure rather than a completely all-new design. But why rock the boat with such a dramatic change to the Corvette formula? Apparently the front engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is reaching its limits in cars like the 2015 Corvette Z06. Also, the Alpha-based 2016 Camaro may end up lighter than the C7 Corvette, giving it the performance edge over its bigger brother. Thus, to help separate future Corvettes from the Camaro, including the next ZR1, a more exotic design will be required.
This change will also help the C8 Corvette become a semi-exotic halo model for Chevrolet worldwide, a bit like the NSX for Acura/Honda and the R8 for Audi. A small-block V-8 will remain the powertrain of choice for the new ZR1—it’s an exotic but not that kind of exotic—and there’s a strong possibility it will come with a single transmission: a seven-speed dual-clutch. By the time regular C8 Corvettes arrive, however, a manual transmission should also be available. We could also see the new ZR1 adopt hybrid technology to ensure it can keep up in the technology stakes against its German and Japanese rivals.
Finally, the Zora name should feature in the new ZR1’s full title. The usage would serve as a tribute to Corvette father Zora Arkus-Duntov, a huge fan of the mid-engine layout, and we know GM recently trademarked it.
...and the folks at GM learned their lesson on that muy pronto, no? Or at least I'd hoped they did.
(BTW...'took my BP yesterday at about 2 p.m. ...110 over 75...72 pulse. The caps, etc., I use are for EMPHASIS ONLY don'tcha know...)
Ya, that's what I've heard too. I don't recall if I've mentioned this, but, I'm #2 in line for a mid-engine 'Vette at a very high volume 'Vette dealer back East. Regardless, if the car turns out to be V6 powered...........???
I'm just not a V6 fan at all. 'Must be the result of growing up during the "Big 3's" conversion to V8s in the 1950s and living thru the muscle car era of the '60s when 6 cyls were pretty much just for old people and 'usually were found only in grey 4-door sedans...so to speak.
Sue me!
Edit: I r-e-a-l-l-y find it difficult to even ponder the idea of the 'Vette I've been looking forward to owning all these years finally being made...and being powered by a V6. :evil:
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Robert S.
GT40s Supporter
The Plan
The C8 flagship, the Zora ZR1, will debut the new mid-engine architecture. Launching as a 2017 model, it will define the top of the Corvette hierarchy just as its precursors did in the 1990–1995 C4 generation and 2009–2013 C6 model years.
As before, the ZR1 will be low volume, roughly 1500 units per annum, and high priced. We figure around $150,000. It’ll be a stand-alone special that will peacefully coexist in Chevy showrooms with C7 models for a few years. The new platform, with appropriate bodywork and cockpit changes, could also support a revived Cadillac XLR (with *better sales success than the last one, we hope).
By 2020, we expect the C7 to take its rightful place in the National Corvette/Sinkhole Museum and that all future models—yes, even the base Corvette—will shift to the mid-engine platform.
The Engines
Those who fear the demise of GM’s immortal small-block can relax because V-8s will surely propel the eighth-gen car. Using a single cam in the block plus pushrods offers weight, bulk, and cost incentives too valuable to squander. And the direct-injection, modular-displacement (cylinder shutdown), and variable-cam-timing technologies implemented for the C7 give this engine another lease on life. While it’s premature to quote displacement, power, and aspiration details, we expect the C8 to soundly beat today’s Stingray Z51’s acceleration (zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds), its 181-mph top speed, and its fuel-economy bogies.
Ron Earp
Admin
if the car turns out to be V6 powered...........???
I'm just not a V6 fan at all.
Sue me!
.and being powered by a V6. :evil:
I bet my V6 powered track car is faster than your track car
I bet my V6 powered track car is faster than your track car
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeh, SHUDDUP, Ron!
