A Detailed Look at the C8's New Hatch Design
Daily Slideshow: With every new release, we get a clearer and clearer image of what the C8 Corvette has to offer. In the latest find, a patent lays out the details of a rear deck lid for a “motor vehicles with a rear-engine or a mid-engine layout". Lets see what Chevrolet's engineers have come up with this time.
Patents Show All
Another GM patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office leaves more breadcrumbs leading to the mid-engine C8 Corvette. The most recent patent shows off the rear deck lid with integrated cooling built into the panel. Recent spy shots all show the C8 with an exposed rear deck, especially when testing on the track, confirming the cooling nature of the hatch.
Not “If” but “When”
The rear hatch is labeled as a “Venting Module for Vehicle Compartment Cover Assembly” for “motor vehicles with a rear-engine or a mid-engine layout.” At this point, the mid-engine Corvette is no longer in question. The car may not have an official title and most details are still up in the air, but what can be said for certain is that GM will have a mid-engine car in their lineup within the year.
>>Join the conversation about the C8's rear hatch cooling system right here in Corvette Forum.
Everything Serves a Purpose
According to the patent, engine compartment temperatures rise above 400°F. In a vehicle of the conventional layout, ie: front engine, this can be easily mediated with venting systems built into the hood and/or fender panels. In a mid-engine layout vehicle, the “hood” serves more than one purpose. Along with protecting the engine itself, it must also serve as a rear window allowing the driver to see behind them. This can present a unique problem to cooling as vents cannot be as easily placed into the glass as they can be in a metal, fiberglass or carbon fiber hood. In this case, the venting structure must serve a dual purpose of venting the heat as well as holding the rear glass pane.
>>Join the conversation about the C8's rear hatch cooling system right here in Corvette Forum.
Dual Purposes
The patent shows off the details of the rear deck lid of the future mid-engine C8. The hatch will be a glass panel on a perforated carrier plane. The perforated venting plane will serve as a heat dissipating structure, helping to reduce heat in the engine compartment and can provide up to 200-225% more heat dissipation than traditional strategies. In turn, the venting also serves as a structure for the rear hatch and glass. By providing a mounting point for the glass and additional strength for the hatch itself, the cooling feature acts as a frame to the rear deck.
>>Join the conversation about the C8's rear hatch cooling system right here in Corvette Forum.
Mind the Gap
It appears that the cooling mesh goes along each side, only gaping on the top and bottom. In each spy shot, however, there do appear to be gaps in the cover over the mesh. There are also gaps on the top and bottom of the meshed area. On the mule cars, there appears to be a camera on the top portion, while the bottom portion is left empty, perhaps to serve as a location for the checkered, Corvette, and fleur-de-lis flags to fly.
>>Join the conversation about the C8's rear hatch cooling system right here in Corvette Forum.
Let the Details Come
The more time goes on, the more interesting this mid-engine white whale gets. One can only wait for the day we get to inspect the intricate details of this surely powerful and precise machine that GM will be providing us with. I just hope that it stands up to all of the hype the endless newsreels have created around the vehicle.
>>Join the conversation about the C8's rear hatch cooling system right here in Corvette Forum.
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