2020 Corvette

[935k3]

This is the race car out on track for the first time. It's about time.

 

Edited August 12, 2018 by 935k3

[ZTony8]

Looks a lot like the current Acura NSX.

[MrObsessive]

Dale, I'll bet that racer is a good preview for the production version coming in '20. It appears killer, but I'd like to see Chevy keep the current front engine car simply for tradition. This can of course be the top of the line model, and then keep the regular version for the 'purists' out there.

Just the same, glad to see a mid engine 'Vette FINALLY come to life. This has only been talked about since what the '60's?

[Classicgas]

No thanks.

[Foxer]

I'm not a Corvette person, but the coming posts on this are deafening already!

[oldcarfan]

They need to keep the Corvette a front engine sports/grand touring and let the mid engine car be it's own thing. Maybe they can use the Stingray name for the new one and give it it's own identity.

[jchrisf]

As long as it still shoots a rocket flame I will be happy LOL 

 

[espo]

I remember years ago Chevrolet was playing with a prototype mid engine Corvette. As I recall the cost to build and the technology involved at that time killed the project. While many if not most of the problems at that time may have been overcome to the point that they can now make a business model for building it now. The biggest draw back in my mind is still the cost to the consumer, I think the number of people who would be able to justify the expense would be far smaller than the more conventional layout of today. In the far distant past I have owned a C-1 and a C-3 and enjoyed both but at this time Corvettes are beyond my means and not practical as if they ever were.

[iamsuperdan]

Chevrolet has been teasing a mid-engined Corvette for decades. The difference now though is that it is definitely happening.

Going forward, GM are positioning Corvette almost liek a seperate brand, much like FCA has done with the SRT vehicles.

We'll be seeing both the front engined and mid-engined Vettes.

 

I would be fairly confident in saying that the first we really see of the new mid-engined car will be at LeMans. Much like Ford and Acura, and others before them, the first truly undisguised car will be racing at Lemans.

 

I like the idea, but as a 6'6" person, I can tell you right now that I won't fit. Therefore, don't care. lolz.

I also think GM should be paying a licensing fee to Ferrari for using their designs. The current Vette looks like the F12, and this mid-engine car looks a lot like the 488.

 

 

[Bainford]

16 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

I like the idea, but as a 6'6" person, I can tell you right now that I won't fit.

I can't see why not, Vettes are bloody huge. Mid engine or otherwise, I'm sure big or tall people will fit.

[MrObsessive]

29 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

Chevrolet has been teasing a mid-engined Corvette for decades. The difference now though is that it is definitely happening.

Going forward, GM are positioning Corvette almost liek a seperate brand, much like FCA has done with the SRT vehicles.

We'll be seeing both the front engined and mid-engined Vettes.

I would be fairly confident in saying that the first we really see of the new mid-engined car will be at LeMans. Much like Ford and Acura, and others before them, the first truly undisguised car will be racing at Lemans.

I like the idea, but as a 6'6" person, I can tell you right now that I won't fit. Therefore, don't care. lolz.

I had heard this bandied about years ago-----------Corvette becoming its own division apart from Chevrolet. Makes sense as Corvette prices are waaaaaay in the stratosphere now. Not like years ago when in 1967 for instance, a fully loaded Caprice might have been somewhere in the $3500-$4000 range. A Corvette was somewhere around $5-6K? True inflation being what it is today, a two thousand dollar difference in the price of a car back in the '60's was a LOT of money. But with 'Vette's somewhere in the upper $50-60,000 range, there's no comparison if you're looking at prices of your average family hauler.

Yeah, I'd have a hard time getting into one of those mid engined 'Vettes too! I sat in a C6 ('09?) at an auto show back when they were new. I was larger then and fit quite comfortably. One reason was because of the long dash to front wheels ratio which gives you plenty of leg room. That's not the case with a mid engine car where the wheels are practically in the cabin------one ergonomic feature I thoroughly hate as that's how a lot of front drive cars today are engineered that way.

Just the same, I can best believe I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. I can betcha that car will top the $100,000 mark by the time it hits the streets. It'll be exclusive for sure, and definitely one for the well heeled crowd.

Edited August 14, 2018 by MrObsessive

[iamsuperdan]

1 hour ago, Bainford said:

I can't see why not, Vettes are bloody huge. Mid engine or otherwise, I'm sure big or tall people will fit.

Big car, tiny interior. My company has leased out a few, and I literally cannot move the cars around out lot. HEadroom and legroom are virtually non-existant!

1 hour ago, MrObsessive said:

 

Just the same, I can best believe I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. I can betcha that car will top the $100,000 mark by the time it hits the streets. It'll be exclusive for sure, and definitely one for the well heeled crowd.

The current Corvette (in CDN dollars) starts in the mid $60s, and goes to well over $100k for a loaded ZR1. You'll never find one on a dealer lot for less than $70k CDN. 

 

I'd be truly surprised if the mid-engined one retailed for less than $150k CDN when it finally arrives!

 

 

[Casey]

3 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

Going forward, GM are positioning Corvette almost liek a seperate brand, much like FCA has done with the SRT vehicles.

The SRT optioned vehicles are not a separate brand at all, but a group within FCA, much like Ford's SVT (not sure if that even exists anymore, but..). FCA did turn the Ram pickup line into a separate RAM brand, now encompassing both pickups and vans.

Why would GM devote an entire division to a vehicle which hasn't sold more than 36K vehicles since 2006? The Corvette is their halo vehicle, so it makes sense for GM to push it upmarket toward other ultra high performance competitors (debate which if you like), but not to create a separate division for such a low volume vehicle. GM's move to differentiate Cadillac from the rest of GM by moving it's headquarters to New York a few years ago hasn't proved to be a huge boost financially, so I can't see the same thing being seriously considered with one model in their lineup.

[Richard Bartrop]

About that tradition thing.

When the Stingray made it's debut it was cutting edge technology married to a body that looked like no Corvette before, or like any sports car built by anyone else.  There were a few nods to '30s sports cars, but the overall effect was right out of the future.   Imagine if people said,  "We can't have this!  What about tradition?  It needs to be like the old Corvette!!"

 

Seeing how GM has been rehashing the C3 for about half a century now, maybe it's okay to give tradition a little rest.

[iamsuperdan]

10 hours ago, Casey said:

The SRT optioned vehicles are not a separate brand at all, but a group within FCA, much like Ford's SVT (not sure if that even exists anymore, but..). FCA did turn the Ram pickup line into a separate RAM brand, now encompassing both pickups and vans.

Why would GM devote an entire division to a vehicle which hasn't sold more than 36K vehicles since 2006? The Corvette is their halo vehicle, so it makes sense for GM to push it upmarket toward other ultra high performance competitors (debate which if you like), but not to create a separate division for such a low volume vehicle. GM's move to differentiate Cadillac from the rest of GM by moving it's headquarters to New York a few years ago hasn't proved to be a huge boost financially, so I can't see the same thing being seriously considered with one model in their lineup.

Respectfully disagree. FCA are positioning SRT as a separate entity. Find any Dodge branding on the last generations of Viper. SRT Durango, Charger, Challenger all have exactly one Dodge logo anywhere on them. And that's on the back of the vehicle. The SRT4 (Neon) had two Ram head logos. They have been slowly shrinking the Dodge or Jeep logos, and increasing SRT. Plus in FCA fleet meetings I've attended, they have discussed future plans, and have said that SRT is becoming its own entity. It won't be getting stand alone dealerships, but eventually, that will be the brand.

[MrObsessive]

While the C3's were radical inasmuch as new styling and all, they were still a traditional sports car as far as being a front engine/RWD car. We already had a sneak peek at the new styling in late '60 when the '61's were introduced with that rear end, and folks had seen the Stingray racer a couple years before that on the track and show circuit, and no doubt in auto magazines of the day.

This new 'Vette coming up is VERY radical, and it'll remain to be seen how well it's received by enthusiasts.

[unclescott58]

From what I can see, the mid-engine Vette does not look as pretty as the present Sting Ray. The present Corvette is the best looking Corvette since they took away chrome bumpers after '73. This new one? I just don't know? I'm too poor for Chevrolet to design Vettes for me. So I guess it doesn't really matter in the long run. 

[unclescott58]

P.S. I also like Ford's recent GT better than the Vette shown above. Ford still captured the essence of the old GTs and GT40s in the present car pretty well. Like Chevrolet's present Sting Ray catching the essence of past Corvettes. The mid-engine Vette looks too much any other mid-engine car. Kind of boring to me. Is it another Ferrari? Lamborghini? Acura NSX? What makes it a Corvette? 

[Richard Bartrop]

16 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

 

While the C3's were radical inasmuch as new styling and all, they were still a traditional sports car as far as being a front engine/RWD car. We already had a sneak peek at the new styling in late '60 when the '61's were introduced with that rear end, and folks had seen the Stingray racer a couple years before that on the track and show circuit, and no doubt in auto magazines of the day.

This new 'Vette coming up is VERY radical, and it'll remain to be seen how well it's received by enthusiasts.

When the Stingray first came out,  there was still some question about front vs. mid engine as the ultimate configuration for a performance car, but it was settled before the decade was out.   Which is the most important part of the Corvette legacy, that of being America's ultimate performance car,  or the relative position of all the parts?

As for getting people used to the idea of a mid engined Corvette,  how many decades has GM been doing exactly that?  How many concepts, how many rumours have we been teased with?  Has the reaction over been anything other than, "Wow, that would be so cool!"?  When those plans fell through, I don't recall anyone going "Boy, did we ever dodge that bullet!".   If anything, the reaction has been like the very first post, that it's about time.

I'm going to assume that the Corvette fanbase is composed mostly of fairly rational adults, and not autistic children, and I'm going to guess that most of them will handle this just fine.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Richard Bartrop

[peter31a]

It seems to me that if they had introduced a mid engined Corvette in the late 60's/early 70's when the car had less than 20 years of history it would have made more sense. Now after 65 years of front engined Corvettes and their legacy it seems strange to go away from that to a mid engined car. Keep the front engined Corvette and call this car the ZR1 or something like that. In the end, unless I win a lottery, it doesn't make much difference to me. They'll have an electric engine in it in a couple of years anyway (probably at the rate things are going...).

[martinfan5]

It will be interesting to see how the performance changes on this new mid engine Vette, I think it could be a good thing.  

And I agree, it does look a lot like the new NSX, which means it will look half way decent.

[dino246gt]

I think GM kept it front engine all these years for the purists who didn't want mid-engine, but as Corvette prices kept creeping up in order to keep the performance up, and so many years have passed so, are there really that many "purists" still buying Corvettes? I think it's older people now and so many of us have bought Ferraris, Lambos, McLarens. and think of Corvettes as ultimate Camaros! It's America's sports car and it should be on par with the world's other "sports cars". Just my opinion. Ciao!

[Spex84]

I almost couldn't believe it when it became clear that yes, a mid-engine 'vette was actually going to happen! It's been so long, so many rumors and pie-in-the-sky concepts. But here we are. 

I don't have any problem with this car moving upscale to become a true halo car. The Camaro can be the new Corvette (affordable performance, front engine, RWD etc) and the new Corvette can play with the NSX, McLarens, Porsches, etc. I'll never be able to afford one, so it's all the same to me.

Over the years the Corvette aura has greyed with the hair of the boomer generation. A more youthful, cutting-edge appearance and level of performance could give the brand new life.

The Viper is gone, the Challenger is a brick with a zillion horsepower...that leaves the Mustang and Ford GT. Of those, the GT is the only one worth aligning against for a car of Corvette's stature (let the Camaro handle the Mustang). 

I do worry that the new Corvette won't look "right", that it won't carry its heritage in a satisfying way. But that ship sailed years ago when the 'vette became a Viper with rectangular taillights. 

Time for something new! We'll always have the '64 Sting Ray to look fondly upon.

 

[unclescott58]

I can not disagree with our two Canadian friends above. They have hit the nail on the head. Even if I'm not a big fan of it. It's probably time to move on. Yet.... Porsche seems to sell a lot of traditional designed 911s. And I don't know how well Corvette sales have been lately. In the near past, I do know Chevrolet had no troubles selling every one they could build. But, it's time to leave the past behind. Corvette needs to be a cutting edge sports car to keep its desirability into the future. I'm just not part of that future. But then again, I haven't been since 1973. 

Edited August 19, 2018 by unclescott58

[tbill]

Nothing to worry about, if you look back at the evolution of the  vette, each generation has been quite a departure from the prior one, with the exception of the C5 to the C6, those were quite similar in many ways. That and the sky didn’t fall when the trans got sent to the back of the car for better weight distribution, so I think it’ll be ok, lol. Plus, you still can’t beat the performance and comfort for the price range, try daily driving one of those other super cars and see how quickly it’s no longer fun.......