Mid-Engined Corvette Development Confirmed

We can see the effects on the financial crisis on the automotive market everyday. However, the global downturn has also had some negative consequences that are not so obvious. One of the is the indefinite term postponing or even death of certain special projects.

One of these is General Motors’ mid-engined Corvette. The project has been nothing but a rumor but it has now been confirmed by a... Saab engineer, as autocar reports.

It seems that the Swedish automaker (when it was still a GM brand) had been given the task to create a double-clutch gearbox for the extreme Corvette. The transmission used a wet clutch solution and could cope with a maximum torque of 590 lb-ft. This is almost the torque level offered by the beefiest incarnation of the current Corvette, the ZR-1.

The project, which was pretty close to completion, was put on the list of financial nonsense when the economy really started going downhill back in 2008.

However, the aforementioned source claims that GM is currently considering using a mid-engine layout for the next generation of the ‘Vette (the C8). In addition to that, the website reports that the car might also go the downsizing road, using a V6 as an entry-level engine, with the powerplant expected to use forced induction in order to deliver adequate power and torque figures.

We find the idea of a production mid-engine Corvette very appealing but we’re not so sure that GM will decide to bring a V6 under the car’s bonnet, wherever this will be placed.