Photo Credit: Automobile Magazine After the debut of the seventh generation Corvette Stingray back in 2013 along with the Corvette Z06 that bowed a year later, the automotive press has been pretty excited about the prospect that the next generation Corvette may be produced featuring a mid engine layout. Following a sighting of a possible […]
Is the Corvette Headed to Australia for Holden?
Photo Credit: corvetteclinic.com.au Our friends down under may soon be able to buy a fancy new American car at their Holden dealer in Australia. That was the word last week from Stefan Jacoby, head of General Motors’ international division. Jacoby didn’t give many details about the new car, but he did tell Australian media this […]
Bob Lutz Recounts Early Work on the Mid Engine Zora ZR1 Corvette Program
To paraphrase an old ad slogan, when Bob Lutz talks (or writes), people listen. In a blog for Road & Track released yesterday, the veteran auto executive gives some insider background on the mid-engine Corvette that looks like it might finally become a reality after all these decades of teasing. Lutz says the company has […]
Is this the Zora ZR-1 Mid-Engine Corvette Prototype?
Car and Driver magazine attempted to break the internet Thursday by posting photos of what they say is the heavily rumored upcoming mid-engine Corvette. Their reconnaissance produced 15 images of the Holden bodied vehicle before it was hastily tucked away under a black car cover. Accordingly to the article that El Camino-esque body you see […]
Gran Turismo 6 to Feature the Corvette Vision GT Concept
Could this be a sneak preview of the C8 Corvette or just another tease of a long-rumored mid-engine car from Chevy? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. What we do know for sure, though, is that Chevrolet will be unveiling its Corvette Vision GT Concept on Nov. 19 as the newest member of […]
[PIC] TopSpeed Renders the Mid Engine C8 Corvette ZORA ZR1
Photo Credit: TopSpeed.com Chevrolet has yet to start retail production of the 650 horsepower C7 Corvette Z06 but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate about future Corvettes. In case you’ve been living under a rock or were quarantined with some type of communicable disease, the latest rumor is that Chevrolet is working on a mid-engine […]
Car & Driver: 10 Cars That Paved The Way For A Mid-Engined C8 Corvette
A mid-engined Corvette was closer to production reality than you might think.
It May Become A Reality As The 2017 Corvette ZR1
By Don Sherman from the October 2014 issue of Car and Driver
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.
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.
To read the rest of Don’s Car And Driver blog and to see these special 10 cars, click here.
Photography by Michael Furman and the manufacturer
[POLL] Do You Think Chevrolet Will Actually Build a Mid-Engine Corvette?
Over the last few weeks, the interwebs have been all aflutter with the latest round of mid-engine Corvette rumors. A couple weeks back Car and Driver even posted a rendering of what a mid-engined Corvette might look and surmised that it could be called “Zora”. Since this is our weekly poll, we to hear what […]
Car and Driver Dishes New Report on the Mid-Engine 2017 Corvette ZORA ZR1
Despite the world-class reviews of the C7′s Corvette Stingray and the coming main attraction, the 650 horsepower 2015 Corvette Z06, you would think we would be content to focus on the most advanced Corvettes ever produced. But as always, there are rumors afoot about a next generation Corvette and the main question on everybody’s minds […]
The Rumor Mill Heats Up Again with Talk of a Mid-Engine Corvette ZR1
If you’ve been following Corvettes for sometime, you are probably aware of the oft-repeated rumor will basically goes like this: The next generation Corvette will feature a mid-engine design. As in the engine goes behind the seats, but in front of the rear axle. Motor Trend came out yesterday with a “hot scoop” saying they […]