Rumors are swirling that the next generation C8 Corvette will abandon the front-engine layout that it used for the past 65 years, and make it mid-engined. This is bad, and this is why: The Corvette is supposed to be an affordable sports car that doesn't require much work. Mid-engined cars are more expensive and require more work, and this work is harder to do because of where the engine is. Plus it would ruin the shape of the car. Mid-engined cars can be nice, but the Corvette shape has remained the same since the C3, which came out in 1969. Reasons I've heard for making this change involve things like lap times, something the car does fine already. Another one is the idea of trying to appeal to younger people, even though the supercar with the youngest average owner base is the Nissan GTR though, another front-engined car. If there was a front-engined C8 AND a mid-engined one with a much smaller production scale, that would be fine, since it wouldn't potentially kill of the model. But replacing the normal 'vette with some sort of American Ferarri could be the beginning of the end of one of the oldest (If not THE oldest) continuous production sports car there is. What do you think? Is it bad? Is it good? We'll see after the Detroit Motor Show next weekend what will happen...
Chevy has had mid engines vette prototypes on and off for decades. The new ZR1 and the Zora have been spotted on various test tracks in camo for months now, they have a nice shape IMO from what can be made out. The Zora should be much more competitive with long time rivals of the Vette. Personally I like the Corvette Zora as a Chevrolet performance car, though I think I would prefer she just be called the Chevrolet Zora instead of the Corvette Zora. As for the difficulty of working on them, I don't think people looking for a car in this class really do much work on them. Yes the GT-R is a popular base for project cars, but all of those that I can think of are done by professionals who probably won't be bothered much by the added difficulty from the mid engine layout.
Yeah, that's mainly what "m getting at in the last part of the first post. (Also agreed on the part about the prototypes. Some of them didn't look half-bad either.)
If they do make a mid-engined corvette, I expect most of them to get destroyed by clueless mid-life crisis americans that don't know how to drive a mid engined car without snap-oversteering into the nearest tree.
I've seen 2 estimates for the MSRP, one of which puts this vehicle well out of reach for typical mid life crisis folks and the other is at the high end of their usual budget. The C8 Zora car has been tested alongside the new C7 ZR1 on a couple of tracks for months now. It's generally assumed it will be a 2018 model unveiled in Detroit auto show, which is only a couple days away.
Well... coming from a guy that has a couple of Corvettes... even if it is mid engined... it will probably be about as easy to work on the engine as would be in the C3... that thing is buried in the front of that car with a front flipping hood... it is easier to take the whole front of the car off to work on the middle and lower parts of the engine. Then along came the C4. That car basically took that idea and just turned it into a hood... I can pop the hood on my C4, sit on the front tire like a stool and literally reach every part of the engine in the engine bay... piece of cake. Nowadays, however, most people don't want to work on their cars (especially if they just bought it), and they are usually so reliable that... well... they really don't have too. Change the oil, check the air filter, check all the fluid levels... that's about all you really need to do. Heck... even with my 84 Corvette... most of the time that's all the more that I do. If your paying that much for a car, you shouldn't have to work on it... not for a good long while anyways... especially from lower end car companies that base their reputation on making affordable reliable cars (yes, I understand that the track record there doesn't hold up to that very well on a lot of their cars... but we all know that's what they seem to want to be known for) Also, about the hood situation and working on the engine... if they do a clamshell style rear end... it honestly would probably be just about as easy to work on the engine as in the C4 Corvette... They won't I am sure... but they could.
Would say it is bad, because it will take away the character of the used Corvette I love: a cheap, easy-to-work-on sports-/supercar. You can't have an easy-to-work-on big V8 crammed between the rear axle and seats. Well, maybe unless the whole rear end lifts up...
I don't really like it. If it was a completely different car built alongside the 'Vette, I would be fine with it. As a Corvette? No. The Corvette is a front engined sports car, not some euro-supercar.
This ^ Especially with the Viper having kicked the bucket, the corvette is the only car in it's class. Why GM is making it rear engine, thus putting it up against the Ford GT, is beyond me.
Do we know what the price point of this new car is aimed at? If they can manage to keep the price down... I don't really see the problem with it.
I've seen 2 estimates at an MSRP. The more recent estimate puts it slightly below the 2019 ZR1 price range. (2019 ZR1 is on their website now for anyone who hasn't noticed.)
See... now I originally heard that the normal Corvette would continue for 2018, and the ZR1 would be turned into the mid engined monster that we are talking about here... I am guessing that is no longer the plan?
The midengine car is the C8 Zora, the ZR1 badge is being used on the C7 in the same way it was used for the C6. Just with more performance and less safety for any pedestrians who walk in front of it. And more flames from the exhaust. And a ringtone available on their website. Because the exhaust from a 755hp Supercharged 6.2L V8 is not an annoying ringtone. This has been the plan for as long as I know
With the new C8 Corvette, the C7 IS where the awesome looking corvettes stopped in my opinion. the C8 Looks like it got make-up from a Prius at a local make-up shop. The corvette is honestly no longer a muscle car, it's more of sports car.
Agreed... I have driven a few muscle cars, and there is NO relation to Corvette's what so ever... they are a completely different bread all together. They use the muscle car idea of using large engines in a small car, but honestly, that's about the end of the relationship.
