Mid-Engine C8 Corvette Could Debut at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show

I should preface this information by explaining that I am a skeptic when it comes to the rumors of the mid-engine C8 Chevrolet Corvette. If the details that I will discuss below prove to be accurate, the Corvette will transition from being an acquirable (although pricy by the standards of the average new car buyer) American sports car to a high priced, exotic supercar. I don’t believe that General Motors is going to completely change the basic design of the Corvette, but with this information coming from a huge, reliable source like Car & Driver, I am inclined to share it with my readers.

C8 Corvette Information
So, according to Car & Driver’s inside sources, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette will arrive for the 2019 model year. The project is reportedly called ZERV internally at GM and it will allegedly debut in production form with a new mid-engine design at the 2018 North America International Auto Show in Detroit. The C8 Corvette will, at first, retain a variation of the current LT1 engine, but the output is expected to rise to 450-500 horsepower. This 450-500 horsepower, mid-engine C8 Corvette is expected to have a price starting around $80,000.

Also, after debuting in January 2018 with 450-500 horsepower, the C8 Corvette is expected to receive a new four cam, 32 valve V8 that will offer significantly more power – although no power estimates are offered by C&D. They do, however, point out that the beefier C8 Corvette will likely have a price north of $100,000. I should remind everyone that the C4 Corvette ZR1 had an LT5 engine with four camshafts and 32 valves, and GM has reacquired the trademark rights to the LT5 name. It seems that the 2019 Corvette with the higher performance engine could rekindle the LT5 name, in a similar grand fashion to that of the C4 Corvette ZR1. Of course, the C8 LT5 will have far, far more power.

What About the C7?
If this information proves to be accurate when the 2018 Detroit Auto Show rolls around, the introduction of the C8 Corvette should lead to the demise of the C7. Should 2018 be the final year for the C7, it means that the current generation Corvette will be one of the shortest, with just 5 model years – much like the C2 Corvette. This means that those folks in love with the look of the C7 will have a couple more years to buy one before they go the way of the Dodo and if the C8 is a high priced, mid-engine car, we can expect to see a massive rush for the final (affordable) C7 Corvettes.

Again, this is all unofficial information from Car & Driver’s inside sources and between now and January 2018, a great many things can change. However, this is the most complete information we have seen on the rumored mid-engine C8, leading many to believe that it will soon be a reality. The C8 Corvette will most certainly challenge the best supercars that Europe has to offer, but at the same time, the expected price hike will move the Corvette out of the range of many buyers.

Finally, I should remind everyone that this is not the first time we have gotten an expected debut date for the mid-engine C8 Corvette. Rumors earlier this year insisted that the mid-engine beast would debut sometime during the 2016 calendar year, but those rumors were followed by the Corvette chief engineer stating that there was no mid-engine Corvette in the works.

Stay tuned, as any new information on the Corvette’s future will be discussed here at TorqueNews.com.

Source: Car & Driver

The image displayed above is a C6 Corvette Daytona Prototype race car, which also has a mid-engine layout. This GM image has no relation to the story, other than the fact that it is a Corvette (of sorts) and it has a mid-mounted engine.