It has been almost 50 years since the first mid-engined Corvette concept was shown to the public. In 1968, the experimental Astro II was revealed at the New York Auto Show. It never made it to production. Since then, both concept cars and rumors of mid-engine Corvettes have appeared at regular intervals.
No one outside GM has any idea what the rumored mid-engine Corvette will look like. In the meantime, enjoy this mid-engine Corvette concept from 1972. It is the Reynolds XP-895, an aluminum-bodied prototype built by the Reynolds Metals Company, maker of the rolls of aluminum foil found in every kitchen drawer! A 454 cubic-inch V8 provided plenty of power, but it was too expensive to put into production at that time. If you look closely, you can see the origins of the front and rear end redesign of the 1973/74-1979 C3 Corvette!
Reports have recently surfaced about a new mid-engine ‘Vette coming in 2018 as a 2019 model. Those rumors suggest that the current V8 engine will be placed in the chassis forward of the rear wheels. That means the Corvette could be powered by either of the current 460-horsepower or a 650-horsepower engines, or possibly a higher-output version.
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A new mid-engine Corvette would have to compete with a large field of mid-engine supercars from around the world. It would need to have a higher level of performance than the current top-of-the-line C7 Z06. Chevrolet has also had great success with the Chevrolet Volt’s hybrid-electric technology. Is it possible that we could see a hybrid supercar from an American manufacturer?
Hypothetically speaking, how might a new mid-engine Corvette stack up against other supercars?
The most recent supercar to actually hit the market after a decades-long wait is the Acura NSX. Unlike the Corvette, the NSX doesn’t just rely on displacement for its power production. A modest 3.5-liter DOHC V-6 is fitted with twin turbochargers to pound out 573 horsepower, assisted by two electric motors, slotting it into the hybrid supercar category.
A precision DCT (dual clutch) transmission puts that horsepower to good use with crisp shifting, and it’s a big reason the NSX can produce 0-60 mph times of 3.0 seconds.
The C7 Corvette Z06 is rated at 2.95 seconds 0-60, but it’s a front-engine car. It handles incredibly well, but the NSX’s mid-engine layout would help it to out-maneuver the current Corvette. Change up the weight distribution on the C8 Corvette with a mid-engine design, and things could get interesting…
In terms of cost, the NSX could be the closest mid-engine competitor for the Corvette with a price tag of $156,000 – even though that’s nearly double the base price of the current Z06.
As it is now, the C7 Corvette is totally out of its depth when measured against the likes of the Porsche 918. As a mid-engine supercar (actually, hypercar), the Porsche 918 might just be the benchmark for greatness. The basis of the powertrain is a 4.6-liter 608-horsepower V8 mated to two electric motors adding an additional 279 ponies, for a total of 887 horsepower.
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The C8 Corvette would need remarkable improvements in weight reduction and power production to come close to the performance of the Porsche 918. The Porsche hypercar hits a top speed of 210 miles per hour and hits 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just 2.5 seconds. The C7 Corvette Z06 is impressive at 2.9 seconds 0-60mph, but four tenths of a second is a lot to make up.
The Porsche 918 is virtually unattainable, though. With only 918 built, it is completely sold out. It sold for $845,000 new, but you’ll never find one for anywhere near that price now. A new Corvette is about a tenth of that price.
The Lamborghini Huracan does not have a hybrid powertrain, but assuming a conventional powertrain in the Corvette, it would be the closest Italian competitor for the C8. The Huracan is powered by a 5.2-liter V-10 that is naturally aspirated, and at 602 horsepower, it’s close to the 650 horsepower from the current C7 Corvette’s rating.
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Performance sets the Huracan apart from the Corvette, however. 0-60 is achieved in 2.5 seconds, a significant advantage. Handling is accurate and nimble thanks to the electronic all-wheel drive, a feature the Corvette has never had.
The Lamborghini Huracan’s base price is $242,000 in the US, about the price of 3 new Z06 Corvettes.
There’s no question that the top end of the hypercar category is the LaFerrari. If the Corvette goes with a hybrid powertrain, it will be an interesting comparison. The LaFerrari has 950 horsepower between its 6.3-liter V12 and the electric motor, and has been developed with much of the same technology that F1 cars use.
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The LaFerrari makes it from 0-60 mph in 2.4 seconds but more impressively, it rockets to 186 mph in just 15 seconds. Its top speed is 217 miles per hour. The C7 Corvette Z06 doesn’t run anywhere close to those numbers, although its top speed of 185 mph is nothing to sneer at.
The number that makes the Corvette more attractive is the selling price. At $1 million-plus for the LaFerrari (if you can get one), the Corvette will seem like a bargain, even if it is priced at several hundred thousand dollars.
The McLaren P1 is the successor to the famed F1 and has quite a reputation to uphold. It does so quite well, with a 3.8-liter V-8 engine with twin turbochargers, producing 727 horsepower. The P1 is also a hybrid hypercar, adding a 177-horsepower electric motor for a total of 904 ponies.
Where does all that power rank the McLaren P1? Well ahead of any current Corvette. 0-60 times are close — 2.8 seconds for the McLaren P1 and 2.95 seconds for the current C7 Z06 Corvette. But could the ‘Vette vie for 0-186 miles per hour in anywhere near 16.5 seconds? Maybe not, but the Z06 has done 0-150mph in 17.7 seconds, which is not too shabby.
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The McLaren pedigree is quite similar to the Corvette. McLaren builds cars that compete and win in the Formula One Championship, and the McLaren P1 comes in both a street-legal and a track-ready version. Chevrolet builds affordable Corvettes to appeal to the average American, yet the brand still boasts a highly successful 60-year racing history that includes eight wins at the 24 Hours of LeMans.
The Audi supercar, based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform, has a target on its back if the Corvette truly gets a mid-engine design. Though it truly is a performance car, the Audi R8 doesn’t put up the numbers that cement its place in the supercar category. It has much in common with the Lamborghini Gallardo, which is a step below the Huracan.
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The Audi does have sufficient power to be classified as a supercar, with either 540 hp in the V10 or 610 in the V10 Plus. That being said, the R8 only musters around 3.5 seconds sprinting to 60 mph. The Audi R8’s claim to fame is its no-fuss Quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Quattro sticks the R8 to the road in the corners, which helps explain why Audi R8’s have the 38th and 52nd best overall times at Germany’s famed Nurburgring track.
The C7 Corvette Z06 beats the R8 in overall road handling without AWD, though, nabbing 15th place in the Nurburgring times. While R8 buyers may be diehard Audi fans, the Corvette will outperform the R8 every time.
The 2017 Ford GT is set to be released late in 2016 with a limited production of 250 vehicles per year. This car is likely why Chevy wants to enter the mid-engine market themselves — to take down their Blue Oval competition. The Ford GT is expected to make around 630 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged V-6 derived from Ford’s Daytona Prototype race engine.
No one yet knows how quickly the 2017 Ford GT is expected to accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour. While its power rating is close to that of the current Corvette Z06, the Ford’s curb weight of about 2,890 pounds undercuts the C7 Corvette’s 3500+ pound weight by over 600 pounds. In terms of power to weight, the Ford GT has the C7 beat, but who knows what the C8 Corvette will weigh in at? It is likely to use the same types of composite materials that the Ford has used to keep its weight as low as possible.
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Ford has a great racing heritage, just as Corvette does. This new Ford GT won its class in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans (actually taking first, third, and fourth), exactly 50 years after taking on and beating Ferrari at LeMans with the original Ford GT-40.
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