Road and Track article on mid-engine Vette
10-04-2017, 05:55 PM
#21
I believe the majority of these cars go to Doctors, Lawyers, and Dentists...or their wives/GFs.
Price can't be the reason, so what else is it - that people don't see Porsche's as good or desirable cars?
Last edited by sunsalem; 10-04-2017 at 05:56 PM.
10-04-2017, 11:25 PM
#22
Race Director
Porsches cayman and Boxsters pricing jumps dramatically with options...and often their pricing rivals today's z06 s...
Really hard for sports car enthusiasts to justify choosing a cayman or Boxster with desired equipment when a z06 can be purchased for less.
Mid engine cars can be wonderfully practical and yes back in the late 1970s I owned a turbocharged alcohol injected forged piston nimonic valve modified 1976 rear mid engined lancia scorpion. Yes the car was an Italian piece of crap compared to today's corvettes but it's turn in was impressive and it's storage capability was just fine as a daily. The front trunk was huge. I was a kid back then and for many years through the 80 s even...I enjoyed owning the vehicle.
It was its utter lack of reliability that created my desire for a daily driver. Not the fact that it was mid engine.
I believe the corvette team will take an offshoot of today's corvette powertrains and place them in a rear mid engine chassis and offer us an amazing vehicle.
Keep the faith. GM s cost for research and development dropped dramatically since old GM s bankruptcy carried those costs ....new GM has the Cadillac division to foot a large portion of post 2009 research and development since then as well as bowling green expansion costs....much like Cadillac did for the development of the c6 corvette as it was the basis of the failed Cadillac XLR and XLR v.
I have no fear whatsoever ever that the next corvette generation will be anything less than class leading.....that class to include every and all sports car brands...
Much the corvette crushes way beyond its msrp today...
Really hard for sports car enthusiasts to justify choosing a cayman or Boxster with desired equipment when a z06 can be purchased for less.
Mid engine cars can be wonderfully practical and yes back in the late 1970s I owned a turbocharged alcohol injected forged piston nimonic valve modified 1976 rear mid engined lancia scorpion. Yes the car was an Italian piece of crap compared to today's corvettes but it's turn in was impressive and it's storage capability was just fine as a daily. The front trunk was huge. I was a kid back then and for many years through the 80 s even...I enjoyed owning the vehicle.
It was its utter lack of reliability that created my desire for a daily driver. Not the fact that it was mid engine.
I believe the corvette team will take an offshoot of today's corvette powertrains and place them in a rear mid engine chassis and offer us an amazing vehicle.
Keep the faith. GM s cost for research and development dropped dramatically since old GM s bankruptcy carried those costs ....new GM has the Cadillac division to foot a large portion of post 2009 research and development since then as well as bowling green expansion costs....much like Cadillac did for the development of the c6 corvette as it was the basis of the failed Cadillac XLR and XLR v.
I have no fear whatsoever ever that the next corvette generation will be anything less than class leading.....that class to include every and all sports car brands...
Much the corvette crushes way beyond its msrp today...
10-06-2017, 06:24 PM
#23
Le Mans Master
Agreed
I don't see why a mid-engined car should cost more than about $1000 more than a FE car {with same engine, tranny, seats,.....} ME cars can be lower in the front, lighter in the front, lighter overall, and there is no particular reason they can't be just as light as the more ubiquitous FE sports cars.
That said, I can see why F, L, Mc cars are priced where they are.
The REASON why they don't sell in volume is not the design...it's the price.
That said, I can see why F, L, Mc cars are priced where they are.
10-06-2017, 09:49 PM
#24
Le Mans Master
Originally Posted by LIStingray
Then how do you explain the Porsche 718 (both coupe (Cayman) and convertible (Boxster)?
It is a mid-engine PORSCHE, it costs less than a C7 (Base MSRP $55,300), and they sell about 5,500 per year in the US compared to Corvette sales of over 30,000. Price can't be the reason, so what else is it - that people don't see Porsche's as good or desirable cars?
It is a mid-engine PORSCHE, it costs less than a C7 (Base MSRP $55,300), and they sell about 5,500 per year in the US compared to Corvette sales of over 30,000. Price can't be the reason, so what else is it - that people don't see Porsche's as good or desirable cars?
10-09-2017, 02:09 AM
#25
Burning Brakes
Agreed
I don't see why a mid-engined car should cost more than about $1000 more than a FE car {with same engine, tranny, seats,.....} ME cars can be lower in the front, lighter in the front, lighter overall, and there is no particular reason they can't be just as light as the more ubiquitous FE sports cars.
That said, I can see why F, L, Mc cars are priced where they are.
I don't see why a mid-engined car should cost more than about $1000 more than a FE car {with same engine, tranny, seats,.....} ME cars can be lower in the front, lighter in the front, lighter overall, and there is no particular reason they can't be just as light as the more ubiquitous FE sports cars.
That said, I can see why F, L, Mc cars are priced where they are.
10-09-2017, 11:11 AM
#26
Racer
The new building in BG is not for the production of vehicles. It is a painting facility. The current plant, where the Caddy XLR was built, has plenty of room for a 2nd line of cars, which is being installed as we speak. That is why plant tours have been stopped.
The Caddy XLR failed because no one had any interest in buying a Caddy sports car. Furthermore, it is not in GM's DNA to build a 150K car and sell 3000 to 4000 units per year. I mean, what's the point? The C8 will be a reasonably priced mid engine Vette and will completely replace the front engine Vette after 1 or 2 years of production. It will be a fabulous car in every way, and will redefine "bang for the buck."
The Caddy XLR failed because no one had any interest in buying a Caddy sports car. Furthermore, it is not in GM's DNA to build a 150K car and sell 3000 to 4000 units per year. I mean, what's the point? The C8 will be a reasonably priced mid engine Vette and will completely replace the front engine Vette after 1 or 2 years of production. It will be a fabulous car in every way, and will redefine "bang for the buck."
