Mid-Engine Corvette Storms Around the Nurburgring

Our best look yet at the exterior design of the mid-engine Corvette, even with the camouflage.

We have been talking about a mid-engine Corvette for decades. It seems that with each upcoming generation of the storied American sports car, there are whispers of a mid-engine design, but it seems that the eighth generation of the sleek Chevy will finally feature a new drivetrain layout. Over the past two years, we have seen countless spy shots, leaked General Motors documents and video footage of what we believe to be the long-rumored mid-engine Corvette, but this video from Jalopnik is the best footage yet.

In this video, we get to hear the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette roar around the world’s most famous road course. More importantly, the camouflage is the thinnest we have seen, giving us our best look yet of the lines and vents all over the mysterious supercar.

Mid-Engine Corvette at The Ring

In the video above, we get to watch three minutes of footage of what pretty much everyone in the world believes is the long-awaited mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. The car is covered with the usual black-and-white checkered vinyl in an effort to disguise the lines, but this is the most minimalistic camo we have seen thus far. So, it gives us our best look yet at the exterior design.

Up front, this mysterious supercar has the greenhouse set much further forward than with the current Corvette. This all-but-guarantees that this car has the engine mounted behind the seats. It has a variety of large vents up front and massive scoops extending off of the body along the sides, but oddly, there is no huge rear wing. There is a unique tiered wing on the wide, flat rear end, but it appears to be stationary and smaller than the aero bits on the likes of the current ZR1.

Fairly Quiet, No Whine or Whistle

Rumors have long-insisted that the mid-engine Corvette would be powered by a gigantic V8 with forced induction and an output of at least 900 horsepower. However, if you listen carefully to the car in action in this video, there are no engine sounds that would suggest that it has forced induction. There is no whine like a supercharger or whistle from a turbocharger setup, pointing towards a naturally-aspirated engine. Also, as the car drives away from the camera, the exhaust note is surprisingly quiet. It’s a far tamer note than what we hear from the current Z06 or ZR1 when they are being driven hard on the track.

Based on the lack of more noise, it seems likely that this could be a “base model” of sorts with a naturally-aspirated V8 like the LT1. Down the road, we could see the rumored twin turbo engine, but this car sounds far too quiet to be a 900-horsepower supercar.

What do you think about this latest C8 Zora news? Naturally, the forums are already buzzing with talk.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com