There have been multiple reports in the past few days of what appears to be a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette test car in heavy camouflage and while we still haven’t heard a single word from GM on this long-rumored supercar – the constant presence over the course of the past year all but proves that there is a midship Chevy on the way.
Another day – another story about the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette, but automotive news is slow, so why not talk about something cool like a new American supercar, right?
Mid-Engine Corvette Still in the Works
Unfortunately, we still don’t have any official information on the future existence of a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. GM has never acknowledged that the company is planning a mid-engine Corvette and some GM execs have gone so far as to state that no such program exists. However, with all sorts of spy shots showing an oddly proportioned test car with the basic lines of the current Corvette, it definitely looks like the General is working some kind of mid-engine supercar.
Maybe the automaker won’t actually call it a Corvette – going instead with something like the Chevrolet Zora – or maybe it will be badged a Cadillac, which has also been a popular rumor over the past year. It might be the C8 Corvette, it might be the new Chevy Zora and it might be a Cadillac, but GM is definitely working on something that is shaped and proportioned like no other car in their current lineup.
Recent Chevrolet dealership computer system information posted online suggests that the mid-engine Corvette could rely on a new dual overhead cam LT5 V8, but those LT5 rumors point to a naturally aspirated mill. It seems unlikely that the DOHC LT5 would rival the supercharged LT4 in terms of power, but the all-aluminum, naturally aspirated LT5 could be considerably lighter while still packing upwards of 500 horsepower. It was originally expected that the mid-engine Corvette would feature a high performance, dual clutch transmission, but with GM’s new 10-speed automatic offering better performance than Porsche’s dual clutch – the mid-engine Corvette could have a more conventional automatic gearbox.
January Debut?
Since sometime last year, there have been rumors that the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette – or whatever this mid-engine GM supercar is called – would debut at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Provided that this new supercar was set to arrive for the 2019 model year, a January 2018 debut would make good sense for a car which would hit the market in the summer or early fall of 2018.
Of course, there have also been plenty of spy shots and videos showing what many people believe is the C7 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, with a far more dramatic aerodynamics package than the current Z06. Perhaps Chevrolet plans to steal the performance show at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, introducing the first ever mid-engine Corvette alongside the newest high performance rear-drive Chevy supercar.
Right now, this is all purely speculation, but the pictures and videos don’t lie – General Motors is working on a spicier Corvette and something with the proportions of a mid-engine supercar. Now we just have to wait and see what the automaker has in store for the performance market in the coming years.
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