Stop me if you have heard this before: Motor Trend is reporting that next Corvette ZR1 is going to a mid-engine layout according to a number of sources. One of the sources follows this up by saying the next-generation Corvette will also go to a mid-engine layout,
Now this isn't the first time there have been reports of a mid-engine Corvette. Since the early sixties, reports of Chevrolet doing a mid-engine Corvette have been reported. This is only helped with General Motors showing a number of mid-engine Corvette concepts over the years.
So what makes this rumor different from all the other ones? A few items. First is that the next-generation Camaro will utilize the Alpha platform, which could mean the next Camaro may end up being lighter than the current C7. Motor Trend speculates that if a Cadillac ATS equipped with the turbo 2.0L and six-speed manual weighs around 3,433 pounds, a next-generation Camaro with that same powertrain setup could weigh less. As for the C7 weight: 3,450 pounds when equipped with the seven-speed manual.
Then there is story from earlier this year where General Motors applied for the "Zora" trademark. Zora is for Zora Arkus-Duntov, the man who made the Corvette the American performance icon it is today. Arkus-Duntov was a huge proponent of the mid-engine layout, which led him to create the CERV I and CERV II (CERV is short for Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle).
Finally, GM was apparently working on a mid-engine C7 Corvette design before the company went into bankruptcy. But with bankruptcy, and the departure of Bob Lutz and former Corvette chief engineer Tom Wallace retired, the project was canned.
While a mid-engine Corvette would be a sight to see, for now we'll put this into the 'we can dream' file.
Source: Motor Trend
William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.
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