Report: Chevy Considering Mid-Engine C8 Corvette
With the seventh-generation Corvette due out soon, Chevy is reportedly already looking ahead to the C8 model with major changes planned. General Motors had planned a major revamp of the Corvette for the C7 model but when the economy took a turn for the worse, it was decided that less ambitious changes had to be made. As a result the C7 is to follow after previous Vettes, but with improvements. In other words, it’s more of a stop-gap, to keep the iconic sports car alive until the C8 arrives to usher in a new era of the Corvette.
“That [the C7] will be the last of the traditional, old-style Corvettes,” said a senior GM representative to AutoWeek. Reportedly under consideration for the C8 is a light-weight aluminum platform with a mid-engine layout. It is may also be smaller in size and could even use a V6 engine. That might sound crazy, but if a V6 is planned, you can expect a few turbochargers to also be a part of the package.
We’ve already seen reports mentioning GM’s plans to make the Corvette a more global car with improved youth-appeal, and as much as cosmetic changes to the C7 platform are expected to head in that direction, the C8 is now looking to update every aspect of the car.
[Source: Autoweek]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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I own a 2008 corvette Z06 and I think the looks of the C8 are very nice. (looks like the same car from Transformers2) But anything less than a V8 would be a crime against the corvette name. Now a smaller V8 with a super-charger or a turbo enough power to produce at least 500 horsepower for the base model would be acceptable.
Switching to the V6 is no crime. Times are changing and the world must change with it. The current Camaro V6 is giving the stock V8 Mustang GT a run for it's money. The so called "Purists" that keep complaining about the idea of a V6 are going to be the ones that end up limiting the cars ultimate potential. As the former owner of a 2002 Z06 that averaged about 20 MPG (Not bad for a high performance pushrod V8 by any standard) I can honestly say that if GM was able to release the same car with the same power but use a more fuel efficient V6, I say go for it. The corvette should be (and in many ways IS) a technological marvel... Not just a fast car.