Mid-engine ZR1?!

[BaylorCamaro]

It would make a pretty cool halo car though. Rendering isn't bad either.

[PYROLYSIS]

Another rendering.

[King T]

Originally Posted by MEDISIN

"However, a GM source recently told us that the Z06’s supercharged LT4 is capable of producing 1000 hp, though traction is an issue in the C7."

Yes please.

Yes that quote should help all of the folks that were ready to jump off the bridge when the Hellcat hp numbers were released

I never thought that the LT4 was "maxed out" at 650hp, while running a smaller supercharger and less boost

[Aequitas & Veritas]

The second rendering looks a little like the Hennessey Venom with a Corvette butt

[King T]

Originally Posted by AZCamaroFan

they're finally building the Corvette Indy from 1988 ?

I'm thinking more CERV III from 1990

[King T]

Originally Posted by Aequitas & Veritas

The second rendering looks a little like the Hennessey Venom with a Corvette butt

The rear diffuser and motorized spoiler reminds me of the McLaren P1

[SS 376]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

For half a century, people have been saying that the next Corvette will be going to a rear-mid engine layout. It hasn't happened yet ... why should the C8 be an exception?

I'll believe it when I see it. I think GM can do it. They just won't because the Vette sells too well for them to go off and do something drastic. If they do, it would be some super expensive one-off like Ford did with the GT.

[NASTY99Z28]

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...d-zora-feature
Maybe now it will finally happen. Looks beautiful and should perform well.

[ilirg]

I like the rendering from the other post better.

[RLHMARINES]

A mid-rear engined twin turbo V8 LT5 or L88 Corvette Zora ZR1 would be killer.

[72MachOne99GT]

I'd like to see the GT with modern rubber and the 5.8 out of the newer GT500...

Probably land it somewhere between the old Z06 and the new c7 z06

[King T]

Mid-Engine Corvette ZR1 To Bow In 2017, Cost $150k: Report

Work has commenced on the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette, the C8, and word on the street is that the car will ride on a new mid-engine platform under development at General Motors Company [NYSE:GM]. While the C8 isn’t due until the end of the decade, a car riding on its platform may appear much sooner than that.

No, we’re not talking about the new sports car recently hinted at by Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen, although it is a distinct possibility Cadillac may eventually launch a car based on the new mid-engine platform. No, we’re talking about a new generation of the Corvette ZR1, which Car and Driver reports may be launched as early as the 2017 model year and sport a price tag of around $150,000.

This means that while it’s technically a C8, the new ZR1 will be sold alongside the current C7 Corvette for its first years on the market. Eventually, the C7 Corvette will be replaced by the new C8 Corvette, with all the variants being based on the mid-engine platform. Yes, even the base ‘Vette.

The reason for the platform’s quick gestation is because GM reportedly started working on a mid-engine Corvette prior to its bankruptcy in 2009, and current Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter is said to be one of the key people involved in the original project. We also hear that the basis for the new platform will be the C7 Corvette’s aluminum spaceframe structure rather than a completely all-new design.

But why rock the boat with such a dramatic change to the Corvette formula? Apparently the front engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is reaching its limits in cars like the 2015 Corvette Z06. Also, the Alpha-based 2016 Camaro may end up lighter than the C7 Corvette, giving it the performance edge over its bigger brother. Thus, to help separate future Corvettes from the Camaro, including the next ZR1, a more exotic design will be required. This change will also help the C8 Corvette become a semi-exotic halo model for Chevrolet worldwide, a bit like the NSX for Acura/Honda and the R8 for Audi.

A small-block V-8 will remain the powertrain of choice for the new ZR1—it’s an exotic but not that kind of exotic—and there’s a strong possibility it will come with a single transmission: a seven-speed dual-clutch. By the time regular C8 Corvettes arrive, however, a manual transmission should also be available. We could also see the new ZR1 adopt hybrid technology to ensure it can keep up in the technology stakes against its German and Japanese rivals.

Finally, the Zora name should feature in the new ZR1’s full title. The usage would serve as a tribute to Corvette father Zora Arkus-Duntov, a huge fan of the mid-engine layout, and we know GM recently trademarked it.

[King T]

A Mid-Engined C8 Corvette Is Coming: The 10 Cars that Paved the Way

Two hours into the 1957 12-hour Sebring Grand Prix, driver John Fitch dove into the pits to abandon his Corvette Super Sport. Officials were told a failed rear-suspension bushing prompted the DNF, but the real reason behind the early retirement was that Fitch couldn’t take the heat. Literally. Exhaust pipes snaking through the experimental sports racer’s magnesium body had cooked his feet.

Pondering the demise of his Sebring project, Corvette patron saint Zora Arkus-Duntov concluded, “The heat source must be behind the driver.” From then on, Arkus-Duntov’s pursuit of a mid-engined Corvette never wavered. His legacy is this family album of experiments, prototypes, concepts, and stillborn production proposals.

1960 CERV I


To test his theories, Arkus-Duntov built the single-seat Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle with a 353-hp aluminum-block V-8 driving the rear wheels through a four-speed transaxle. CERV I served as a test bed for the production C2 Corvette’s independent rear suspension. After attacking Pikes Peak, Arkus-Duntov lapped GM’s Milford proving grounds at 206 mph in this car.

1964 CERV II


Arkus-Duntov’s next CERV was this sports roadster. A monocoque chassis carried a 6.2-liter small-block V-8 powering all four wheels through two compact transaxles. (Ferrari’s FF uses a similar scheme.) Calculations predicted acceleration to 60 mph in less than three seconds and a top speed of 214 mph.

1968 Astro II


Reacting to Ford’s successful GT40 road racer, GM’s R&D staff ginned up a stunning concept car for that year’s New York auto show. The mechanicals included a 390-hp big-block V-8 torturing a Pontiac Tempest two-speed automatic transaxle.

1970 XP-882 Corvette Prototype


Designed to defuse Ford’s launch of the De Tomaso Pantera at the 1970 New York show, this concept had parts from an Olds Toronado transaxle driving the rear wheels.

1972 XP-895


Conceived by GM and Reynolds Metals, the aluminum XP-895 weighed 500 pounds less than a steel-bodied alternative. It was deemed too expensive to put into production.

1973 Two Rotor


This Frankfurt showpiece consisted of a modified Porsche 914 chassis and a 180-hp two-rotor Wankel engine wrapped in a GM-designed body.

1973 Four Rotor


Arkus-Duntov’s favorite Corvette design bowed at the 1973 Paris Salon with two Wankel engines locked and loaded just ahead of its rear wheels. After GM’s rotary program died, the company bolted in a small-block V-8 and rechristened this car “Aerovette.”

1986 Indy


This technological tour de force featured a twin-turbo V-8, four-wheel drive, active suspension, and four-wheel steering. Renamed CERV III, this car was updated for 1990 with a larger engine and lighter body panels.

2002 Cadillac Cien


Cadillac celebrated its centennial with this supercar. The Cien was a razor-edged two-seater energized by a 750-hp 7.5-liter V-12 and a six-speed paddle-shifted transaxle. A carbon-composite body kept the projected weight down to 3350 pounds. No, it wasn’t called a Corvette. But then neither were most of the other mid-engine concepts.

2006–2008 C7 Engineering Proposal

A mid-engined Corvette was closer to production reality than you might think. Championed by then assistant chief engineer Tadge Juechter, the Corvette group in 2006 began studying mid-engine performance improvements and rearranged proportions. GM’s design department sculpted a full-size clay model and more than a dozen alternative scale models. Eventually, Juechter sold GM vice chairman Bob Lutz and chairman Rick Wagoner on the idea. Unfortunately, this plan died in the teeth of the Great Recession and GM’s 2009 bankruptcy. All Corvette development funding came to a halt. Even though the C7 was resuscitated with a low-risk front engine, the tenacious Juechter never abandoned his mid-engine hopes. Engineering work begun in 2006 should finally bear fruit as the 2017 Corvette ZR1.

[hotlap]

Originally Posted by King T

Mid-Engine Corvette ZR1 To Bow In 2017, Cost $150k: Report
...why rock the boat with such a dramatic change to the Corvette formula? Apparently the front engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is reaching its limits in cars like the 2015 Corvette Z06. Also, the Alpha-based 2016 Camaro may end up lighter than the C7 Corvette, giving it the performance edge over its bigger brother...

This would free the Camaro team to pull out all the stops on a 2017 ZL1.