As in, er, rear mid-engine:

http://www.autoextremist.com/index.shtml

Very interesting if true. Waiting for the howls from the purists.

 

My only objection is that I think it'll make the entry price too high -- if a base C7 coupe ends up costing $65k, that's too much for many folks.

 

There has been talk of a mid-engine Vette since Zora was at GM. The supporters of that camp have been a small but vocal minority within the Corvette program. Rumors of a mid-engined car flare up every time the next-gen Vette is speculated upon.

I'l believe it when we get some more "official" confirmation.

 

This gets even more interesting when you throw in the rumors of a Kappa based V8 Corvette "Stringray" from a few months back. Imagine a mid-engine V8 for the Vette enthusiats that have been pining for one for years. A few traditionalists would certainly consider it, after all, its still a Corvette. Those that prefer front engine would have the smaller Stingray as an option (which would also capture those sports car purists that think the Corvette has grown "too big"). Furthermore some might even consider the top dog Camaro as it would offer front engine, heritage styling and the extra space they've lived without for years all at a price tag near (hopefully slightly under) the current entry level Corvette.

When you throw all that into the equation, it seems more viable.

 

The article is probably BS, but if it's not the following people either are argumentative a******s, or wrong or a combination of both.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...90#post4544290

GuionM
Sixer-Bird
Chrome383z
Good PH.D
SRFCTI
91 z28 4me
flowmotion
that is all

 

I hear those who say that "this gets discussed every time the Vette is revised." But there's a LOT of stuff surfacing suggesting that this time it really is being actively considered inside GM, that there are engineering mockups etc... much more so than there was with the C5 or C6.

 

I wonder how many times Team Vette is allowed to throw out midengine Vette ideas when it comes time to start the next generation??

 

It would definetly price more people out of the market. However, any car with a price tag near or above the average household income is "too expensive" for most folks! What Chevrolet will have to decide is where/to whom they want to market the 'Vette; regardless of engine placement.

They could charge $100K for the current C6 and it would still be a bargin compared to most of its competition...according to Scott S. at the last Gathering in Atlanta before the C6 prices were announced, some of the higher-ups at GM were seriously proposing an MSRP approaching six figures!

 

Count me in with the "no" camp. I don't see the benefits, especially when it comes to price.

Why mess with a successful formula 55 years in the making?

EDIT: If true, good luck modding a mid-engined Corvette....and with your "Porschesque" $100, dealer-only oil changes for that matter.....

 

You wanna put what I actually said on there?

 

I don't think Saddam Hussein needs to go out and buy a sweater just yet.

The article says the cost would be close to a loaded C6 vert. Depending on your definition of "close", we could be talking a base price of $55-60k. That's a whole lot higher than the current $45k (especially when new 1LT 08s can be had for about $40k) and puts it out of reach of a lot of the current target market.

DeLorenzo talks a lot about racing, but I don't get the connection. Why would GM need a mid-engined production Vette to go after the overall win at LeMans? It's not like the winning Audis are based on anything production. GM's free to make to make their own purpose built race cars just like Audi does, regardless of what a production Vette looks like. Besides, he already admits that GM doesn't pay much attention to the Vette's racing success so why would that be a major driver?

I also think most casual buyers of Vettes (i.e. not the hard-core performance guys) would be put off by a mid-engined layout. One of the nice things about the current Vette is how practical it is. Lots of room to throw in some luggage for a weekend trip. Easy to get in and out. Cheap and easy to service and mod (if you choose to do that). Most of that would likely go away with a mid-engined design.

With the added cost and reduced practicality, gone would be the days of 30,000+ sales per year. If GM is content to watch their sales fall by two-thirds or so, then maybe. But they'd be throwing away one of the greatest American automotive brands ever.

 

A mid-engine Corvette is blasphemy. Utter blasphemy.

That is all.

 

The XLR doesn't have the rich history the Corvette has, so why not make the XLR mid-engine. If the still want to make a limited number of mr vettes they can, and the XLR will help absorb the cost. I can definitly see the XLR MR going against Audi's MR.

 

"If the still want to make a limited number..." sorry for the typo, it's "If GM still wants to make a limited number..."

Also to add to what I said earlier, how bout also renaming the the XLR to the Cadillac Cien. Sound familar?

 

I don't know if I believe it or not. People have been saying, "The next generation will be mid engined", for years now. I honestly don't know how the Corvette enthusiasts would react if it actually happened. All I know, if it does turn out to be true, I hope the "XLR variant" looks exactly like the Cadillac Cien concept .



David