My passion for Corvettes will always keep me loyal, and it's hard sometimes to see certain traditional styling elements go to the wayside. I am glad to see this mid-engine concept is being thought of (50+ yrs.) and hope it comes to reality soon. As for the current styling concept car shown here, I see vast more improvements that could be made to enhance it's design. Lose the exhaust tips from under the taillights and lower them to center or to bottom of each panel, add a more distinctive diffuser, add a speed sensitive extendable/retractable rear spoiler and make sure it is painted Torch Red with a C5 rounded nose, lol. Even if I could't afford one, it would still be sweet to see one on the streets and race tracks setting new standards and higher levels of performance. If it ends up having similarities to another vehicle, so be it, it's still a Corvette. Time and technology will always move on, like my Love of Corvettes !! Jus Say'n !!

 

Same rumor mill that the 4 day work week coming soon!!!

 

I've read that somewhere too, possibly these forums. Under these circumstances, a mid-engine Vette might make sense. There would be two distinct models at two price levels, and Cadillac dealers, who are successful marketing LS equipped caddys could market high priced Corvettes to their clients. Yup, that makes sense.

 

Wishful thinking is why I am keeping the C5Z and not buying a C7Z.... You all know GM trademarked "Zora" almost a year ago right?

I mean we all know that they can't possibly do any more performance wise with the current front engine platform. It's exciting to ponder the possiblities

 

How about AWD?
The whole mid-engine thing has race-cred, but it introduces a bunch of practicality and livability issues for the owners.
(Unless they want to make the Corvette a low-production narrow-focus pseudo-racer...)

 

That's where the idea that the "Zora" MIGHT be a special edition mid engine Corvette comes into play. Think 2017-18ish. With the same ole same ole front engine platform Corvette for owners that don't want a mortgage payment for a car

 

An article in one of the recent car mags suggested it carry a Cadillac marque.

 

It better not be labeled a Cad !!

 

A mid engined Corvette probably means the end of the naturally aspirated V8. It would be too big to put inside without making the car extremely wide. Probably would end up with a small turbo 6. It may anyway thanks to the current heavy handed regulations.

 

You aren't kiddin about THAT "regulations". I am hoping at least a similar power plant to the current C7Z... Fingers crossed.

 

I like the idea about the corvette being a car anyone can own. Land can some one please explain why mid engines cars are so much more expensive?

 

With CAFE standards being what they are and will continue strangling the car industry, there's a pretty good reason why the new Ford GT coming out is a Twin Turbo V6, and Ford will be selling that one for around the same price as a lambourghini which is their target market. So expect around a 400k price tag for the new Ford GT. Three times as much as the old one from 2005. Though I don't believe this new one is going to be a limited run. I think Ford wants to keep it around as a Halo supercar for the brand since the new Ford Performance (IE Ford Racing) has merged together, Ford is launching 16 of its new vehicles in the next couple of years and they will all be about different levels of performance. The GT350 Mustang, Focus RS, Ford GT, Ford F-150 Raptor, these are just a few of them.

Mid-Engined cars tend to be more expensive because they use a lot of exotic materials in the making of them for weight savings, then they stuff in the biggest engine they can (usually a small V8 or larger V6 with turbos), and by small I mean 3.8l V8's. Weight distribution is better and they are highly sought after by the rich and disgusting. THey will usually range between 500 and 650 HP. Unless they add electric motors and a battery, then you get something like the Spyder 918 Porsche, with close to 1,000BHP output.

And they also have rather large R&D costs associated with handling characteristics.

 

But if gm wanted they could make an affordable mid engine corvette right? The technology is already out there to build them. I just don't understand why moving the engine to the middle of the car thriples the price . I get the r and d part but corvettes are already pretty light cars. Or is this more about the fact that they want to compete with the Ferrari and Lamborghinis ? Becuase in reality how many of those are sold each year compared to how many corvettes are sold each year ? I would think if you are going that way you would be targeting a smaller audience and ignoring the people who have been buying their cars for decades and losing business. I'm prolly wrong here but I'm sure one of you guys will learn me .

 

Because they're made by people like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Audi,...people that are not fond of producing cars to a price point.

Also, a lot of the packaging and safety constraints are non-trivial to engineer and build for a street-legal car. Maintenance is also a bit of a thrill, as the greasy bits tend to get buried pretty deep in the structure.

There's also a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation in that they just don't sell well: a lot of the advantages of the mid-engine layout just aren't applicable to a street car, and compromises that work on a race car simply are not marketable in any decent quantity. So they end up being low-production/high-cost status-symbol toys, further limiting sales...lather, rinse, repeat.

 

You were doing fine until you lost me with that one...explain please?

 

GM could probably build a mid-engine Corvette at a price comparable to the C7...if they committed to building them in current production numbers.
The question is, can they sell that car in those numbers? Take a C7, reduce the cabin size to the point where a 6-footer won't fit, reduce the luggage capacity to the point where a couple can't take it on a 5-day trip, and turn routine maintenance into something that simply cannot be done without a lift (or worse, dropping the engine and/or transaxle), and see how many actually make it out the dealer door over the long haul.
(Analogy: Porsche sells a lot more 911s than they do Boxsters/Caymans, despite the mid-engine cars being cheaper and handling better.)

 

Two chances slim and fat.

The C-7 has another 6-12 years of run, and they (GM)ainn't dumb enough to build a car to really compete with the Vette.

The new Ford will cost twice the Vette, so it really won't compete either.

 

V6 option and 150k price tag pretty much kills everything the Corvette stands for. The C7 would be the last real Vette in my opinion. Prototypes are rarely put into production .

 

This much reduced practicality makes me very skeptical of the mid engine layout. My father has a cayman, he is shorter than me so he fits fine, I find it cramped. The front, even without the engine, still has a lot of space taken up by the radiator, steering rack, and other stuff. There is a cubbyhole in front, but it isn't huge or well shaped. You could probably get 2 medium sized duffle bags. There is space under the rear hatch also, but pile it up too high and it blocks the rear view. I have no idea what is involved in servicing the engine.

Other mid engined cars with big engines such as the old Ford GT, Lambos, etc are huge. Until I saw a Lambo in person I didn't realize they were that big, and no space to carry anything.

For a corvette to be successful, it has to be practical, not just a track toy.

 

Sorry for all the dumb questions but I'll try and make this my last one. Why is it harder to do maintenance on a mid engine car. I have never actually got a good look at one to know how they work . How do you access the engines on them.