I know that GM has messed with it at least a little. Why not build a mid-engine C6?

The GT / Saleen / Ferrari / Porsche / Lotus all have mid/rear engines. Why not Corvette? It seems that its a better design for racing. I could see a C6R with a mid / rear engine being a nice upgrade. Heck if the Saleen didn't break so much it would have had alot of victories. Besides that they have weight penalties for the Saleen and its still hanging just fine.

Just a thought. A change might be alright I would think. The only drawbacks I could see is cost and tradition. But for 50k I would think you could pull it off. :cheers:

 

Go read this book:

 

hmm I think it should stay the same because Im a traditional Vette fan. :nono:

 

How many suitcases, duffle bags, beer cases, grocery bags, and golf bags can you get into a Saleen, a Ferrari (even a 550/575M), a Viper, or a Porsche? The fact of the matter is that the Corvette is not a race car. It's street high performance sports car that owners use for daily commuting, touring, weekend warrior sessions at the track, and plumbing supply runs to Home Depot, and the Corvette is highly valued for this exceptional versatility. Check out how much stuff you can get into a Z4, 350Z, or a Boxter - not much. When I finished grad school in early 1971 I loaded everything I owned into the back of my SWC and headed home for a month before going on Air Force active duty.

The mid-engine layout is ideal for a very high powered vehicle, but they can be tricky to achieve good handling balance and stability, and mid-engine layouts are tough to package sufficient occupant and cargo volume and good ingress/egress without making them big and heavy. Mid-engine cars do not make for an optimum multidimensional sports car. Porsche realized this over 20 years ago and tried to dump the 911 and convince their customers that a front engine/rear transaxle sports car was the ultimate layout, but their customers are knuckle draggers and refused to let the 911 die.

The fact is that a mid-engine design has never come close to production approval. Duntov was a champion of the layout, but was always shot down because the price point would have been substantially raised, and management wanted to keep the price point the same. The closest I thought that a mid-engine design ever got to production was in the early seventies. Road and Track had the XP-882 prototype on its cover in 1970 saying it was the '73 Corvette and I PERSONALLY saw three or four dyno cells at the GM Techcenter with the complete transverse engine drive train undergoing what I assumed to be durability testing.

About five years ago when I had a opportunity to discuss this with Chuck Jordan he just chuckled and said: "That was just another one of Duntov's pipe dreams."

Every major redesign opportunity for a new Corvette since then has considered a mid-engine configuration, but they were always the first layout rejected for the various reasons listed above.

Duke

 

Duke,

I'm not sure I'd totally agree with you. My NSX is nicely balanced and stable. I have a lot of interior room and a reasonably sized trunk. It's about the same size and weight as a C5 too. Given that the NSX design is more than 13 years old - I'm sure an updated version could only improve on these attributes.

-Jim



[Modified by 74_LS-4, 8:17 PM 7/14/2003]

 

I couldn't agree more with this. I love my Corvette and It does all of the above things for me very well. I take it shopping everywhere. It can be balanced from front to rear any way Corvette wants it with the current layout of engine and transmission. Most designs are a compromise of some sort...let's not compromise the great design they have evolved. :yesnod: :cheers: :yesnod:


[Modified by Rocketblock, 10:55 PM 7/14/2003]

 

I think GM just wants to sell cars. Racing is an advertisement for their product. If you want to race, they are happy to sell you stuff, but a competitive car won't sell in volume to the public.

 

A mid-engine Corvette would look radically different. Few mid-engine cars escape the generic-IMSA look. They're anonymously-exotic.

Technology is sufficiently advanced that an excellent performer need not adopt every element of what might be considered the "ultimate" design. There's room for creative, artistic, unique choices for the sake of style.

Corvette style demands a front engine design.

.Jinx

 

:iagree:
That is damn well put as usual Jinx.

 

"On the red corner the Ferrari Enzo weighing in at 3230 lbs for $643,330 and on the (electron) blue corner the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 weighing at 3118 lbs for $52,235".

Get it?? they put exotic and super light materials all over the car and it still doesn't manage to be under a car that's about 12 times cheaper. All the mid-engine set-up will cause is more complications IMO. Now the Enzo is an amazing car and wouldn't mind having one, but I think I would be more than happy with a Z06, that's how good the vette's design is.


[Modified by Butta, 9:36 PM 7/14/2003]

 

I have owned one mid-engine car--what a blast---I agree.

 

[QUOTE
I'm not sure I'd totally agree with you. My NSX is nicely balanced and stable. I have a lot of interior room and a reasonably sized trunk. It's about the same size and weight as a C5 too. Given that the NSX design is more than 13 years old - I'm sure an updated version could only improve on these attributes.

-Jim
[Modified by 74_LS-4, 8:17 PM 7/14/2003][/QUOTE]

The NSX is a superb design, but very underrated and underloved. Just goes to show you that most guys can't see past the country of origin. I lusted after an NSX for awhile, but decided to buy a Gen 2 MR2. The first week I owned it I though I had bought a '65 911 in disguise. Almost snap spun it twice in the first week. The fix was to increase rear tire size from 205/60HR-14 to 225/60HR-14, and some alignment tuning. It still has a hint of oversteer with the moderate grip RE71s, but is dead on perfect with the Yok A008RS set. The MR2's cockpit is snug and intimate, but amazingly comfortable with superb ergonomics. The front comparment has room for a car cover and the sunroof panel, and the footlocker sized trunk can carry an amazing amount of stuff.

By nature mid-engine layouts are more responsive to driver input, but there is a much narrower range of roll stiffness distribution and front/rear tire cornering stiffness bias to achieve stable handling without excessive understeer.

All things considered - handling, comfort, and a modicum of useable luggage space I consider the NSX and Gen 2 MR2 to be the two best mid-engine layout sports cars ever built.

Duke