Corvette C8 Spied Testing its Acceleration (Video)
Frst video clips have emerged of the hotly-anticipated mid-engine.
Newly released video shows the C8 Corvette in action at GM’s proving grounds in Milford, Michigan. Acceleration testing was caught by Motor 1, and we’re given our first taste of what the upcoming mid-engine Corvette will actually sound like.
Unsurprisingly, this Corvette prototype uses an automatic transmission. Shifts are quick and offer what appears to be seamless acceleration, suggesting it is a dual-clutch transmission. As well, it seems as though the ratios are quite close, and we’d expect 8 speeds from that gearbox.
To our ears, the V8 in this prototype sounds like it may be the lesser of the two V8s, as we don’t hear anything to suggest it has a turbo, nor do we hear the typical exhaust pop during gear changes usually associated with turbo cars. One thing is for sure, this doesn’t sound like it has any type of flat-plane crank at all.
Procedures for this test itself are a bit confusing. It doesn’t appear to be doing any type of launch control testing, even though acceleration is at wide-open-throttle. A build up of revs doesn’t happen before the acceleration, and keen eyes will observe the brake lights turning off a bit before the nose lifts under acceleration.
The only thing that we can assume is that it is just some additional testing of the transmission and its components, ensuring that acceleration is still rapid and quick even without the use of launch control.
As GM’s worst kept secret, the mid-engine Corvette appears closer than ever to production, or at the very least, a world debut soon. It makes us wonder:will Chevrolet go traditional and debut the car at an international auto show, or will they go in a complete different direction and make it a spectacle on its own? Whichever route they take, we have to assume it would be sometime soon, right?
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