looks like the C8 ZR1 may be the fist! Scoop! Mid-Engine Chevrolet Corvette is a Go - Motor Trend this is a photo of the 2016 zr1, as per motortrend Image Unavailable, Please Login
While it is a cool concept, I think it's the wrong direction. The Corvette has always been a sports/ muscle car at a price point. I find it hard to believe they can keep the price where it is at as a mid engine. Would be cool to see them do a halo car though, such as the FGT or LFA. Or have the Z06 or ZR1 being the exotic.
How long have there been rumors of a mid engined Corvette? Seems like ages... I don't recall if it is in the article you mentioned or not, but there was speculation that Corvette would be spun off as its own brand, with the Stingray as the base model. I'm sure there are some old timers that would hate to see the association with Chevrolet disappear, but I would love to see this happen. Unfortunately, in 2014, having "Chevrolet" attached to your car cheapens it. Ever notice how the 2014 Corvette is nearly always referred to as the Corvette Stingray and not the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray? And I know this is all based on my personal experience, but the Chevrolet dealership experience is atrocious, especially in comparison with what I've encountered at dealerships that sell competitors to the Corvette (BMW, Porsche, etc.). It seems fairly logical to spin Corvette off and sell them at Cadillac dealers, though this is obviously no guarantee that customers will get a better dealership experience.
I don't agree with spinning it off of Chevy. Dodge has spun off the Ram and Viper, and I don get it. And if GM still sticks there little badge on the fender it won't matter what names on it. But it's always been a Chevrolet Corvette. Take Chevy away and people still know where it came from.
Aw come on, out with it Jim! Is this legit? Is this confirmed? Because i'll cancel the Z06 if that's the case!
Every next generation Corvette is supposed to be the mid-engined one, all the way back to the early 60s. I'll believe it when I see it. It's not like the average white-haired owner rolling 10 MPH slower in the right lane really cares about handling.
since the CERV's of the '60's,Chaparral race cars, to the 2 Rotor,4 Rotor, Indy Vette, GM has wanted to do a proper mid-engined Vette. The argument was always, 'we're selling every front engine car we build, we're as fast and handle as good as any competitor', 'why do we need a mid-engined Vette with the additional costs associated with doing a whole new product?' maybe now they're ready.... don't cancel a ZO6 however......any new car will be at least 3+yrs out.. and it's john
Oops sorry about that But I have to say that is an interesting design. If they could make that and keep it under $130K I'm sold.
no worries... you,me & a number of others but it has to be as good as or better than the next Ferrari .......otherwise..
Lower center of gravity, less rotating mass, more torque at lower RPM, etc., etc... Today's pushrod technology with rollers, variable timing, etc. has made the significant investment into flashy DOHC engines a moot point. I'm certainly not as down on the traditional V-8 as I once was. DOHC look cool and spin high RPM, which sounds better, depending on your ear, but these are seriously high-performance engines they are building. Spend the money on the chassis, put a 6-700hp engine in it and go!!
They don't have fenders in F1 either-doesn't mean they don't work well on the street. At no point when I've run my LS7 Z06 around the track, did I ever wish that it had an OHC engine.
Considering the new Z06 isn't really a Z06 (really a ZR1), I suppose they need to go radical with something big to call it a ZR1. They moved the Z06 into the ZR1 niche and now need a new niche. I for one would love to see a real Z06, hardcore n/a engine, get rid of all the magneto-stuff and electronics, save a few hundred pounds, and go supercar-hunting.
I will believe it when I see it. But I will say, if true, that this has been a long time coming. I have always wondered why they didn't spin Corvette off into multiple platforms, like Porsche or Ferrari, but just as equally, I have hoped that they wouldn't. I am old school in the regard that I just want 'one' Corvette!
Remember that back in the old days (when the people and the magazine editors actually believed in mid-engine Corvette prototypes) - that one of those prototypes was a rotary engine, and another was a V6. I don't believe this - just marketing fluff. However, if Corvette Engineering really believes they will have to build a turbo 4 or 6 to keep up with progressive economy standards - a mid-engine might be a way to hide the disappointment from the traditional Corvette fans.
whether they are working on one and whether or not it actually makes it to production can be two different things believe what you will, but never say never..
Or given that the vette already is a transaxle car, the basic drivetrain and suspension lend themselvs to a mid engined layout. With todays computer driven design and small scale manufactring economies why not a mid engined car and also the front engined one. An Alfa 4c can be built and sold for 60K, what type of mi engined vetet can Gm do for 120k especialy as the hard/expesive parts which are the mtor and suspension they already have for the current car. Since we know a new vette can sell for over 100k, and as the 150-200k market is also served by some porches and audi why not a100-150k vette. Maybe the numbers there look good. If we look at the C7 Z06 its about as far as you can stretch the front engined platform not so mucht in terms of performance but also at over 100k there needs to be mroe diffeentiation to the 60k car and midi may be the way to do it. Think of corvette not as a model but as line of cars. I dont see abondonming the front engined format, would harley abandon the v twin? The front engined car is where the volume is at under 100k, and the older buyers are going to prefer the vette classic, the mid engined car is an addition and allows more lattitude for the future.
Apropos of nothing. Engineering is trade-offs and F1 are solving different problems (the first of which is an arbitrary displacement limit). If F1 threw out their technical regs, F1 cars wouldn't look anything like F1 cars, either.