Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
This time, the mid-engine Corvette rumors have a lot more substance, especially since what looks like a production-ready prototype of the car has already been spied from a vast distance by our collaborators.
A couple of months after we showed you those blurry images, taken at GM's Milford Proving Ground, our spy photographers made everything in their powers to catch another glimpse of the pre-production prototype, and this week they finally nailed it.
Keep in mind that the quality of the photos is strictly connected with the fact that General Motors is keeping such a tight lid on the project that the mid-engine Corvette is yet to be spotted on public roads.
That said, we can now see the actual shape and size of the car better than ever before, especially since a Chevrolet engineer is seen next to it in almost half the pictures.
Since it's clearly mid-engine, the overall look of the Corvette C8/Zora is quite a bit smoother than on the current Corvette C7, even though it will probably obliterate it regarding all-out performance.
That said, traditional Corvette design elements, such as the look of the taillights or the rising belt line, seem to be still there unless this prototype is actually still an early mule that was built using parts from the front-engine model.
GM insiders are allegedly calling the car “Project Emperor,” but earlier rumors suggested that the production car will be a replacement for the Corvette C7. Either that or it will be launched alongside the regular Corvette C8 as the Corvette Zora, named after the “Father of the Corvette,” Zora Arkus-Duntov.
The most likely powerplant to debut on the mid-engine Corvette C8/Zora is apparently a twin-turbocharged, 4.2-liter V8 dubbed LT5. Various GM models will benefit from the same engine, but what you see in the adjacent photos will get the most potent version, with approximately 750 hp and 700 lb-ft to be squeezed from the engine.
A hybrid or even plug-in hybrid of the mid-engine Corvette could also be in the works, especially if GM decides to offer the model globally and provide an alternative regarding green technology to the NSX or the BMW i8.
Expect Chevrolet to unveil the production version of one of its most secretive projects at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show at the earliest, so we have at least of a year of speculations and leaks ahead of us
Keep in mind that the quality of the photos is strictly connected with the fact that General Motors is keeping such a tight lid on the project that the mid-engine Corvette is yet to be spotted on public roads.
That said, we can now see the actual shape and size of the car better than ever before, especially since a Chevrolet engineer is seen next to it in almost half the pictures.
Since it's clearly mid-engine, the overall look of the Corvette C8/Zora is quite a bit smoother than on the current Corvette C7, even though it will probably obliterate it regarding all-out performance.
That said, traditional Corvette design elements, such as the look of the taillights or the rising belt line, seem to be still there unless this prototype is actually still an early mule that was built using parts from the front-engine model.
GM insiders are allegedly calling the car “Project Emperor,” but earlier rumors suggested that the production car will be a replacement for the Corvette C7. Either that or it will be launched alongside the regular Corvette C8 as the Corvette Zora, named after the “Father of the Corvette,” Zora Arkus-Duntov.
The most likely powerplant to debut on the mid-engine Corvette C8/Zora is apparently a twin-turbocharged, 4.2-liter V8 dubbed LT5. Various GM models will benefit from the same engine, but what you see in the adjacent photos will get the most potent version, with approximately 750 hp and 700 lb-ft to be squeezed from the engine.
A hybrid or even plug-in hybrid of the mid-engine Corvette could also be in the works, especially if GM decides to offer the model globally and provide an alternative regarding green technology to the NSX or the BMW i8.
Expect Chevrolet to unveil the production version of one of its most secretive projects at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show at the earliest, so we have at least of a year of speculations and leaks ahead of us
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