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Mid-Engined 2019 Chevrolet Corvette (C8) to Debut at 2018 Detroit Auto Show

Indeed, ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of the year when rumors about the mid-engine Corvette pop up on this fantastic place we call Internet. This time around, a motoring publication insists that the next-generation Corvette will be a mid-engined effort.
Corvette logo 1 photo
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Slated to make its first public outing at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, the C8 Corvette is going to rewrite the rulebook of American sports cars. Car & Driver tells that the eight-generation Corvette is codenamed ZERV as a nod to the CERV concepts of Zora Arkus-Duntov. According to the publication’s “impeccable source,” the mid-engined bruiser is expected to employ a good old pushrod V8 with up to 500 all-American ponies.

In January 2019, the C8 Corvette is slated to get an all-new engine. More to the point, Car & Driver talks about a 32-valve, four-cam V8 motor, a similar design to the LT5 powerplant employed by the iconic C4 Corvette ZR-1. To make matters even more ridiculous, the publication writes that a hybrid model dubbed E-Ray Corvette will debut in 2020 with electric front-wheel propulsion. In other words, an AWD Corvette.

The story published by C&D also contains an aerial photograph of the General Motors proving ground in Milford, Michigan, that features “experimental C8s.” It’s hard to tell what the little specks are, though. What I tend to believe to be true about the rumor-filled report is that General Motors has a benchmark fleet that contains the following: Ferrari 458 Italia, Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 Turbo, and BMW i8.

The prospect of a mid-engined Corvette has come and gone each year since the 1960s. Considering how the sports car market evolved in the previous 10 years, it isn’t that ridiculous to believe that Chevrolet is working on a mid-engined Corvette. Each and every mid-engined Corvette rumor and story makes my heart pound with excitement, especially when you think that the Camaro gets near the price point of the current 'Vette.

It’s only natural for the Corvette to go mid-engined and hike the retail price to at least $80k, but all mid-engined Corvette stories and rumors have been proven wrong, time and time again. Still, I want to believe.

P.S.: Apparently, Chevrolet will send off the C7 Corvette with the ZR1 variant at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. Fingers crossed the ZR1 will get more than the 650 HP the Z06 boasts from its 6.2-liter small-block LT4.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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