The much-rumored mid-engined Corvette project has been unexpectedly confirmed by a senior Saab source.
The engineer revealed in a trade magazine that Saab’s engineers had developed a double-clutch transmission for a "mid-engined version of the Corvette" when Saab was General Motors' centre of competence for those systems.
The source also revealed that the wet-clutch transmission was designed to cope with up to 590lbft of torque, only marginally less than delivered by today’s Corvette ZR-1 V8.
The news of the DCT project confirms just how serious GM was about shifting to a mid-engined layout for the new-generation car.
It’s thought that the mid-engined Corvette concept was fully engineered but became a victim of the credit crunch in 2008.
However, the latest rumours from the US suggest the mid-engined layout is now back on the agenda for the next-generation C8 Corvette, which is expected to arrive in five years’ time.
GM bosses are also said to be considering downsizing to a V6 engine, probably backed up by turbochargers. The C8 could also be more compact and lighter, possibly using more aluminium in its construction.
There have been numerous mid-engined Corvette concepts since the 1960s; the last concept to feature such a layout was the CERV III in 1990 (above).
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Re: Mid-engined Corvette 'confirmed'
GT3 and GT4 cars are pretty much the same as their street going counterparts with obvious safety items added like roll bars etc. The changes to the race car versions are minimal and embody the whole concept of GT racing.
Well, where then, please be specific.
Re: Mid-engined Corvette 'confirmed'
I was referring to the road cars, I am aware of their success in racing. However, SSM was making reference to the race cars. As road cars, it is not just the interior quality where it falls short of alot of its competition. Corvettes are not witthout their charm though.
Re: Mid-engined Corvette 'confirmed'
Funny you should say that, at BRNO the Corvettes won the qualifying race in the rain 1-2-3. The two announcers were sure that would not be the case for the championship race on a dry track…they were wrong…Corvette 1-3. Again you make assumptions when you can easily watch fact, unless you don’t believe your lying eyes, the full races are there for you to watch on the website.
I’m not trying to pass the Corvette of as some paragon of quality, they have the worst seats of any sports car I can think of and the interior is cheap, but then the available resources are spent on what matters in a sports car; chassis and drivetrain.