http://www.thegmsource.com/index.php..._articleid=868

 

Oh gawd, not this again.

The mid-engine Corvette rumors have been around at least since the C4. The car has a near perfect weight distribution and abundant cargo space. I just don't see the advantage in GM going to mid-engine.

 

This old chestnut gets dragged out every couple years at treated like GM had the money to tool this up. Mine you, I could see a mid engine being designed; however, as you point out where does the luggage go for the long trips.

 

The loss of convenience would never be tolerated by most Corvette owners who want to use the car to go on trips, the grocery store, etc.

So if this comes true I'll eat my hat.

 

 

One thing that says this MIGHT be true is the new CAFE standards. There is no way GM can get to 35mpg with the current stable of cars. The Corvette is one of the most fuel efficient in the group and to get a 35 fleet average I would expect the Corvette to have to push 45-50mpg. One way to do that is a MUCH smaller car.A 2 seat mid-engine gocart with no trunk or hood might do it. Remember the midengined Corvette of the 70's ultimately became the Fiero. To reach a fleet 35mpg average is going to mean a VERY different fleet of cars. Don't be too hasty to dismiss the tiny midengined 4-banger "Corvette".

 

The C6 is already mid-engined, just that it's in the mid-front.

 

It will be a different car for sure. However, it may be driven by CAFE regs, allowing for cylinder deactivation, that in a front-engine configuration would induce strong transmission shaft vibrations. By attaching the engine to the transmission there's virtually no shaft.

 

 

The much is true. The front engine, rear transmission configuration currently in use has led to interesting vehicle dynamics and notably caused drive-line vibration that could not be overcome during testing with cylinder deactivation ala D.O.D.

 

Actually since the 60's

 

This has come up so often it should be relegated to the catalog of Urban Legends.

It simply does not make sense to me. Well, except for one idea, which I'll come to shortly, or eventually. Unless there is something really special about the new engine, which might be small enough to allow a midship installation without sacrificing luggage space or creature comforts, (not to mention styling) I doubt this will happen. Well, unless the rest of the industry adopts mid-engine placement and GM needs to to follow the trend. (can't see this happening).

Arguably, other than for marketing purposes or racing, of course, there are no compelling reasons for a mid-engined automobile as we think of it today. Yes, Ferraris (the "cheap ones") and Lamborghinis are mid-engined, but these are "boutique" specialty automobiles, built for a specific high-end market. A means of providing the well-heeled among us to realize some sort of connection to a racing car (or to provide the ultimate "Chick Magnet" - in which case most "chicks" don't care where the engine is) But I digress.

Chevrolet, with the Corvette has, since the model's infancy, borrowed styling cues from Ferarri and other Italian marques. Ever wonder where that "cove" on the later C1's came from? Try to find a photo of the 375 Ferrari speciale built for Ingrid Bergman in, I think 1953. Look, if you still can find one to look at, the Chevy Monza - the X-car, not the Corvair (speaking of Chevrolet trying to keep up with the Europeans, to little avail), especially around the B-Pillar, the "post" at the immediate rear of the front doors. Now, go find a photo of a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" like the one GM Styling Chief Chuck Jordan owned and see if you don't see a resemblance. If you're still not convinced of the Ferrari influence on the Corvette, where do you think the "egg-crate" grille, introduced on the 1955 Chevys originated? Google, Ferrari 250 Barchetta. Compare the overall styling to the C3 and Ferrari's 250LM (ironically, a mid-engined car)

Basta! (as the Italians sometimes are given to exclaim- Enough).

What's the point here? Well, to my mind, if Chevrolet/GM are seriously considering this configuration for the Corvette, it can only be for some specific reasons, few of which make any sense to me.

1. They want to homologate a racing sports car that will beat Ferrari at its own game, although I think they've done that already haven't they, using the current configuration? Homologation (the Spell-check is never going to let this term pass..) is required in order to allow a race car to enter as a production-based vehicle, rather than a prototype.

2. They want to be viewed as a serious competitor in the marketplace to Ferrari and Lamborghini. The $100K Gallardo alluded to in the article linked to the original post, if you will.

3. They want to form their own "Team Viper" to allow young engineers to design and develop vehicles that excite and give them pride. (probably a bit late to do this if the rumored new car is coming out in 4 years)

4. Perhaps the most plausible of all, GM thinks we all want cheap Ferraris and aims to please (or at least get us excited. Again). Given their recent, ahem, solutions to poor sales (You know, like the SUV lifestyle alternative - the Pontiac Aztek (kind of like the old Nova hatchback with the camping tent option which allowed one to sleep in the back of the car - but without the charming styling). My point here being, that IMHO, GM is still struggling to figure out why people prefer Japanese automobiles - even though most are now built in the US - and have tried to reinvent the Honda Accord with the new Malibu (you would have thought a breakthrough vehicle would deserve a breakthrough name...). Given that I personally believe that a mid-engined Corvette, with its attendent development costs and resulting higher price, will limit sales of what had once been a successful formula and turn it into the next DeLorean.

That suggests to me that the rumor, this time, must be true.

Okay, I've got my flame suit on. Have at me, but, remember, this is a forum.

 

 

Latest rumor I heard was that there would be a standard front engine vette and a high priced mid engine per Tom Wallace. The article was in latest Motor Trend. Actual design has not begun.

 

With a total production of 35k vehicles annually, the Corvette can't really affect the fleet average enough for GM to potentially mess up the sales of their halo car, can it?

My guess is they'd only go to a rear-mid design if they truly thought it would yield significant performance improvements.

If they can gain performance, and keep to the Corvette tradition of high performance at an attainable price, I'm all for it. But I think GM's got to do something - with cars like the GT-R coming out, the competition is getting fierce!

 

here is a picture of my mid engine Vette
Funny, because it has a V-6 and gets better gas mileage than the 4 cyl version, in fact it gets very similar mileage to my C6, mid 20's around town, high 20's to 30 at freeway speed. It does NOT have as good weight distribution as C6. Nor does it go anywhere near as fast.
Why did they stop making it? Didn't sell enough, which is the reason Toyota stopped selling MR2 several times. The Vette owns it's niche, if they made it a mid engine 4 or 6 banger it would have to compete against other cars like Miata or the present Solstice, which would be a dumb idea.

hmm, maybe GM WILL do it

 

Not to mention the vert top.

 

Since, if I understand them correctly, the manufacturer's burden is based upon a "weighted avereage" of the cars they sell - I doubt the vette would do a lot for them. There' simply aren't enough cars. What's 10mpg of a vette compared to 5 mpg on the ubiquitous Tahoe's or Suburbans.

No - I think the CAFE standards have more to do w/GM's hybrid love than anything they might do to a relatively low production volume sports car.

Does that make sense?

 

 

ive got it in my wifes 07 tahoe,the transision is flawless[unlike 864 caddy of bygone]they could use it right know on the vette,my 08 vette getts 30mpg @55mph ,the change im sure would net 20% = 36MPG +VETTES SUPERIOR AERODYNAMICS @55MPH MAYBE 37 MPG,JUST SPECULATION ON MY PART,I THINK THAT SMALLER DISPLACEMENT WITH turbos/blowers are the only way to get the power & ECONOMY NEEDED,OH YEA MY TAHOE YOU CANT EVEN FEEL THE ENGINE RUNNIG @IDLE
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