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Although the C7 Stingray and its evolutionary descendants will surely live on for several more years, the mid-engine C8 will soon arrive to give Corvette customers a second choice. Painted with drops of leaked information from a GM Deep Throat, our rendering of the forthcoming C8 is no mere guess. In Ferrari style, the mid-mounted V-8 will be proudly visible under the rear hatch. Expect the genuine article to break cover at the Detroit auto show in January 2019.
GAME PLAN
This is the mid-engine Corvette that GM lacked the courage to build for decades. It will first appear as a two-seat hatchback, with open editions to follow. Mounting the engine behind the cockpit facilitates lower seating and a notably sleeker hoodline. A lower center of gravity, improved forward visibility, and better air penetration are all attributable to the new architecture.
ENGINES
Fear not, pushrod V-8 fans, your pet engine is secure. We expect the mid-engine Vette to bow with a successor to today’s 6.2-liter LT1 pumped up to 600 horsepower with higher compression, more aggressive valve timing, and less restrictive exhaust. Dry-sump lubrication will facilitate mounting the engine low in the chassis. Other propulsion sources will follow, topping out at 1000-plus hybrid horsepower, with a twin-turbo V-8 driving the rear wheels and an electric motor powering the front wheels.
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TRANSAXLE
True friends of the stick will pout over the loss of a clutch pedal and H-pattern shifter. Rather, a state-of-the-art paddle-shifted seven-speed dual-clutch automatic supplied by Tremec will be the way and the truth.
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Following its debut at the 2019 Detroit show, the eighth-gen Corvette will roll into dealerships later in the year with a base price of $70,000.
