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EXCLUSIVE PROOF: The Mid-Engined Chevrolet Corvette Is Happening!
Our exclusive mule sighting confirms that Chevrolet means mid-engine business.
Car and Driver

Behold, mid-engine Corvette fans: The car you’ve waited patiently for Chevrolet to build has finally evolved beyond titillating concepts to the engineering mule revealed here. An 82-second strike by our recon op resulted in 15 frames before security narcs dropped the curtain on this black test car—with its two occupants still inside.

Don’t fret over the pointy-pickup camouflage; more attractive attire will follow. Instead take solace in a cabin hugging the front axle, ample space between the cockpit and the rear wheels for the hot parts, and this Corvette’s crouched and ready attitude.

The nose clip is from Holden Commodore SSV (with even wider flares), while the cabin module, roof, and exterior mirrors are hand-me-downs from today’s Stingray. A Holden SSV ute’s sheetmetal wraps door to door around the heinie. The wing keeps the tail planted during high-speed runs and what could be more practical than the bumper-mounted 2x10 for shoving this test sled back to the garage when it breaks down? Other items of note: The fuel-filler located on the driver’s-side B-pillar and the cooling intakes located along the rocker panels.

UPDATE 6-27-16

Mid-engine Chevy Corvette captured in broad daylight
Autoblog

June 27, 2016

Rumor has it the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette prototypes run mostly at night. But someone decided to hit the test track in broad daylight, and one of our spy photographers was on hand with their extra-long lenses to take advantage of that error. These photos show what appears to be a mid-engine Corvette test mule. Car and Driver claims that the Chevy's iconic sports car will switch to the new layout for the whole lineup, not just for a supercar halo model.

Admittedly, the images are extremely grainy – these shots were taken from around a mile away according to our spies. But thanks to a C7 running alongside this prototype we can see the new Vette looks a little wider than. There also seems to be body material where the rear window would be – most likely flying buttresses – but it's difficult to tell at this range. Beyond this analysis, we can't accurately comment on the C8's design because, well, the car in photo probably doesn't have production bodywork.

This leak also shows that Chevy has advanced so far beyond the mule stage. The next Corvette has moved from its Holden Ute-based mules to a very early pre-production spec. That development also comes with a severe increase in security at General Motors Warren Technical Center. Only high-level designers and execs have been allowed to float around the company's mid-engine design studio.

UPDATE 9/12/16

This is the 2019 mid-engine Chevy Corvette
Autoblog

It's real! After years of speculation, the mid-2019 Chevy Corvette has been caught during covert testing in Michigan. We've seen shots of this ghostly Vette in C7 bodies, but this is the first time we've captured it with a clear view of what appears to be an engine mounted amidships.

Codenamed the Emperor, according to the Detroit News, this Corvette will reposition Chevy's iconic sportscar to compete with European exotics and the Ford GT. The newspaper reports a front-engine Vette will still be sold concurrently for a few years after the launch of its more exotic sibling.

UPDATE 1-30-17

The mid-engine Chevy Corvette and C7 ZR1, together at last
Autoblog

There are two new super Vettes on the way: a crazier version of the current C7 we believe will revive the ZR1 name and the long-rumored mid-engine Corvette. These new spy photos show the two of them side by side undergoing testing, and they give a good look at what's the same and what's not quite the same between them.

We'll start with the similarities. Somewhat surprisingly, they look nearly identical from the A-pillar to the B-pillar. The mid-engine car, which might be considered a C8 or an offshoot of the C7, has what appears to be the same A-pillar rake, windshield, roof panel, side windows, side mirrors, and even the C7 taillights peeking out under the vinyl covers. This could just be a result of Chevy using a current car as the basis for the mid-engine test mule, but to us it looks a lot more finished than something normally cobbled together. That puts a lot more legitimacy behind the theory the mid-engine "Zora" will be a sort of last hurrah for the C7.

And then there's what's different. The front end of the mid-engine car is of course much shorter and the rear is extended – that's what happens when the engine swaps ends. It's a little tough to see under all of the camouflage, but the front shortening is most evident if you compare the overhangs and also where the front wheel is in relation to the A-pillar. On the mid-engine car, there's basically just enough body to cover the wheels, just as it should be.

The mid-engine Vette's unique cooling needs are also made apparent here by the big slots aft of the doors. The door skins also appear to have been resculpted to route airflow – and in this case some nice snowballs – to those intakes.

UPDATE 10-11-17

What this mid-engine 2019 Chevrolet Corvette doesn't know: shake machine's broken
MotorAuthority

The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette has been the stuff of myth and legends for decades, but this year, it's spun perilously close to reality.

We've spied it undergoing cold-weather testing, and playing on the track.

Now a prototype's been caught on public roads–at a McDonald's in Cadillac, Michigan.

Bad news, Corvette. The shake machine's probably broken.

These photos, posted to a private Facebook group by Josh B., show what appears to be a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette, likely on its way to disappointment as it wends through the drive-thru lane.

The car matches spy shots we've shown you before, with less camouflage. The car in these shots has what appear to be production-spec wheels.

Like other prototypes of the on-again, off-again mid-engined Corvette, these cars appear to be similar in size to the current C7.

They differ in key ways. This car has a slightly lower, wider stance. The headlights (or at least the marker lights) stretch deeply into the fenders. The car appears to have ducts that could direct air into the rear fender area to cool the mid-engine setup. At the rear, this car seems to have quad exhausts, and a deep diffuser.

UPDATE 10-12-17

Chevrolet Is Benchmarking the Mid-Engined Corvette Against the 911 Turbo S
Road and Track

These mid-engined Corvette prototypes (there were three of them) were caught traveling through southwest Michigan with a Porsche 911 Turbo S in tow. And it's not just a guy in a Turbo S who wanted to follow some cool Corvettes around. This 911 has Michigan manufacturer plates on it, meaning that it is owned by a car manufacturer, not an individual. We're willing to bet a pretty penny that manufacturer is Chevrolet, especially considering Chevrolet has purchased 911s in the past for Corvette-related development work.

UPDATE 1-5-18

Mid-engine Corvette — our clearest pictures yet
No iPhone pics, no far-off zoom-ins from behind a shrub.
Autoblog

Hurray, high resolution! Spy photographers have delivered the highest-quality pictures yet of the future mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette, this time as it was undergoing winter testing in the Arctic. This would seem to be the same test mule previously spotted from high-above a test track and at a McDonald's, but these provide the best glimpse yet of what we might expect from a mid-engine Corvette, or whatever this ends up being. The only difference seems to be the wheels and tires, but that's because of the snow.

At the very least, we can now spot that despite having its engine in the back, this Corvette maintains a removable, targa-style roof. We can now clearly make out the lines at the windshield header and across the B-pillar/roll bar. We can also spot that there is clearly an air intake underneath the square-ish black side panel — as if the enormous rear end and short front-end weren't already enough of a mid-engine tipoff.

UPDATE 2-7-18

Mid-engine Chevy Corvette spied with less camouflage than ever
Autoblog

Crank up the main title theme from "Jaws" because the mid-engine Chevy Corvette is coming. We now have our second set of very clear spy shots in just over a month and the latest in a long running series. This new batch is more revealing than ever, pulling back some of the camouflage and giving us a decent albeit still foggy view of the rear. As before, there's been no official word from Chevy or GM (rumors still suggest this could be a Cadillac), but we're hoping to see the new model sometime this year.

The photos were taken at a private proving ground somewhere with snow, so maybe the Milford Proving Grounds near Detroit. Maybe it's the lighting, but the car appears to have thinner camouflage than before. Either way, we not have a decent idea of how the headlights, rear window and engine cover will look. We still don't know what rests under the hood, but leaked CAD renderings suggest both a naturally-aspirated and twin-turbo V8.

The headlights look thin and swept back with LED accents. The whole front bumper appears to be a more upright version of what we see on the Corvette ZR1. Through the camo we can see that the engine cover has two flying buttresses and a small, upright rear window. It reminds us of the Porsche 918 Spyder's engine cover, though the exhaust on the Corvette exits out back. Other details include intakes just behind the doors and exhaust pipes pushed to the bumper's edge.