Photo: Street Production 303 on YouTube
The last time we’ve heard anything about the mid-engine Corvette, hearsay suggests General Motors delayed the C8 by six months over a problem with the electrical system. Following that report, the supercar likely to go official sometime in the summer of 2019.
GM Authority is citing “sources close to the matter,” confirming that “a major auto show will not start the debut of the highly-anticipated sports car.” Chevrolet is cooking up a standalone event for the mid-engine Corvette, which seems fit considering how radical a departure this is from previous models.
Those sources also floated “May at the earliest” for the grand reveal, but only time will tell if Chevrolet can re-engineer the electrical system by then. What that means is, don’t expect a surprise appearance at the 2019 New York Auto Show.
Speaking of the Big Apple, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit took the veil off the C1 Corvette at the 1953 General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf Astoria in Midtown Manhattan. Six months later, production began at the Flint plant in Michigan.
Starting with the C3 Corvette in 1981, production moved from St. Louis in Missouri to Bowling Green in Kentucky. The plant received millions over millions in investments this past year in preparation for the C8 Corvette, which employs different tooling and production procedures from the C7 Corvette.
If Chevrolet manages to price the newcomer within 10 percent of the C7, that would open up the public’s appetite for the mid-engine configurations once more, a preference that died down with the Pontiac Fiero and Toyota MR2. The 718 Cayman doesn’t count one bit, not when Porsche charges $56,900 for 300 horsepower from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo.
The C8 in its entry-level configuration is expected to feature the LT1 small-block V8 with comparable output to the C7. A twin-turbo V8 is also in the pipeline, and the rumor mill pushes the envelope with a 1,000-horsepower hybrid option that’s likely to include an electrified front axle.
Come on, General Motors! Price it at $70,000 and you’ll hit the jackpot!
Those sources also floated “May at the earliest” for the grand reveal, but only time will tell if Chevrolet can re-engineer the electrical system by then. What that means is, don’t expect a surprise appearance at the 2019 New York Auto Show.
Speaking of the Big Apple, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit took the veil off the C1 Corvette at the 1953 General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf Astoria in Midtown Manhattan. Six months later, production began at the Flint plant in Michigan.
Starting with the C3 Corvette in 1981, production moved from St. Louis in Missouri to Bowling Green in Kentucky. The plant received millions over millions in investments this past year in preparation for the C8 Corvette, which employs different tooling and production procedures from the C7 Corvette.
If Chevrolet manages to price the newcomer within 10 percent of the C7, that would open up the public’s appetite for the mid-engine configurations once more, a preference that died down with the Pontiac Fiero and Toyota MR2. The 718 Cayman doesn’t count one bit, not when Porsche charges $56,900 for 300 horsepower from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo.
The C8 in its entry-level configuration is expected to feature the LT1 small-block V8 with comparable output to the C7. A twin-turbo V8 is also in the pipeline, and the rumor mill pushes the envelope with a 1,000-horsepower hybrid option that’s likely to include an electrified front axle.
Come on, General Motors! Price it at $70,000 and you’ll hit the jackpot!
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