Originally Posted by Bill Dearborn

I have instructed in a Lambo, a V10 R8 and a Ferrari 458. All of them exhibited handling advantages over my C7Z. They rotated into a turn much easier and with the Ferrari driver who made a major mistake entering a turn the car actually responded to his corrective action and did what he wanted while I thought we were on our way off track. Until you have experienced the turning advantage you won't think that much of a Rear ME car.

Bill

Originally Posted by dar02081961

Many have given you the theory and so forth. We have heard it and argued one way or another for 40 years so I wont go there again.

However I will add this to the conversation. The Corvette has filled a nice niche between exotic super car and an everyday car with super car capabilities.
I for one dont want a mid engine car regardless of its capabilities. Just not fond of driving that layout everyday. And since I do my own maintenance I am not fond of the complexity the mid engine design will add either.

I look at it like this. The 911 layout isnt considered perfect either but they have improved the design over the years to keep it competitive and they have a loyal following.
If they changed the design the followers would raise holy hell. (think 928)

The Corvette is the same in that regard. For over 60 years they have run with the best in the world and have a loyal following.

The mid-engine designs are great and certainly worthy.
However they are not the end all to be all in car design the Italians would have us believe.

The Viper, the Corvette and the Mercedes AMG GT R are all front engine layouts that can go toe to toe with anything in the world.
The only mid-engine layouts that best them are the ones with a superior power to weight ratio.
The mid-engine has advantages in initial acceleration and corner exits however they have disadvantages elsewhere in the envelope.

I am sure the mid-engine Corvette will be a heck of a car.
To me the Corvette has always been an everyday vehicle that does everything required in daily use really well. A practical sports car for the average successful Joe if you will.
Trying to make it an exotic just vacates a niche and leaves many of us loyal fans of the original layout out in the cold.
If many of us wanted mid-engine or rear engine cars we would have them already.

Changing the Corvette layout is getting away from its roots for a marginal gain in capability.
It will undoubtedly change a large percentage of the Corvette customer base as well.
The Corvette is a Chevrolet and not an Italian exotic and some of us fans are just fine with that.

I can eat caviar if I like, but I would much rather have a Texas ribeye and an Idaho potato.

Originally Posted by NineVettes

I think there is a lot of merit to what you wrote. There is a lot of merit to what Bill writes too. I have no problem with a Corvette ME, but I would be sad to see Corvette not continue to offer FE model(s) too. Your analogy re the Porsche 911 was quite appropriate IMHO. And it is NOT about this drivel and generic statement I hear so often about mid 60's guys and their "identity crisis." I have had Corvettes since my mid 20's because they were the best bang for the buck. Just bought a '19 manual Z06 and it does not have chrome wheels - it will see some track time.

I get that the ME has better mid corner behavior and can handle more power (better traction) and that's all good. Looking forward to seeing it. But sometimes, just sometimes I do a bit of a reality check to see if 99.9 percent of us will be able to use anywhere close to the 800-1000 h/p power figures I hear tossed around. My last C6 modified Z ran a tad over 600 h/p and I am sure my new Z will present lots of new challenges and learning opportunities.

So bring on the ME, but I hope the FE tradition carries on. If the dual approach is good enough for Ferrari, good enough for me. And I have yet to see and ME that I and the other half could pack enough stuff in (mostly her stuff LoL) for a week trip. I don't do golf...never got into it.

Originally Posted by Bill Dearborn

I have instructed in a Lambo, a V10 R8 and a Ferrari 458. All of them exhibited handling advantages over my C7Z. They rotated into a turn much easier and with the Ferrari driver who made a major mistake entering a turn the car actually responded to his corrective action and did what he wanted while I thought we were on our way off track. Until you have experienced the turning advantage you won't think that much of a Rear ME car.

Bill

Originally Posted by chuntington101

Originally Posted by Mikec7z

agreed, i think it will start in the high 60's or 70's

Originally Posted by Mikec7z

i think there will be the 4.x and 5.x motors, and that is all, so if the first only has the 4.x, then i do believe the 5.x will be used in the higher models.

I agree what you say about ease of upgrading, however, i think GM does a good job of keeping the value high in their z06 vs the lower models... i think it is worth the money swing (granted, i found a 3lz in the low 70's after discount, so it was only 20 to 30g more for the z06 over a base stingray... probably wont be a common occurrence for such discount with the ME variants coming soon)