2020 C8 Chevrolet Corvette: Why midengine, why now?
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
These photos give us a good look at what we can expect to see when the covers come off the Chevrolet C8 Corvette on July 18.
Any discussion of the midengine Chevrolet Corvette has to start with engineer, race car driver and Corvette legend Zora Arkus-Duntov. By the time he started at General Motors in 1953, Arkus-Duntov already founded the Ardun engineering firm. Ardun, a portmanteau of Arkus and Duntov, supplied parts to the military and manufactured aluminum overhead valve, hemispheric combustion chamber heads for the flathead Ford V8.
Arkus-Duntov saw the Corvette at GM’s Motorama in New York in January 1953 and wrote chief engineer Ed Cole, saying that he wanted to work on the car. He began May 1 of the same year. Soon after, Arkus-Duntov was promoted to director of high-performance and paved the way for the Corvette to become the giant killer it is today, challenging the best in the world for sports car supremacy. And Arkus-Duntov wanted to go midengine
Midengine cars fascinated Arkus-Duntov since 1957 when a prepped Corvette cooked racing legend John Fitch’s feet at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Putting the engine behind the driver solves that problem. At one point, GM worked on a new transaxle that would have allowed the second-generation Corvette to be midengine, but technical problems ensued and the project was canceled. Despite the interest, Corvettes continued on with engines in front.
CERV I was unveiled in 1960.
Then came CERV in 1960, the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle. CERV featured a 500-hp V8 and independent rear suspension. It was even tested at Sebring and Daytona, among other places. But since GM was against racing at the time, that concept was mothballed, too, and eventually sold. The IRS setup did make it to production on the C2, but still no midengine.
CERV III is playable in “Test Drive 3” for PC.
The 214-mph CERV II midengine concept followed as a response to the Ford GT40 racing effort but also withered when GM decided to support the Chaparral cars instead. Then in 1967, as a response to Ford’s Mach 2, Chevy introduced the XP-880 Astro II at the Chicago Auto Show. That was followed by the Holden Hurricane in 1969 and another Corvette midengine prototype in 1970. In ’72, we saw an aluminum prototype built with help from Reynolds Metals (as in, Reynolds Wrap), then a rotary-powered concept called the XP-897GT. That car was later given a standard V8 and became the Aerovette. In 1975, Arkus-Duntov left GM, but the midengine dream lived on in more concepts, including the CERV III.
The last thing Arkus-Duntov told new chief engineer Dave McLellan was, “You must do the midengine Corvette.”
Sixty years, countless concepts. Finally, we’re here.
Chevrolet will reveal the midengine C8 Corvette on July 18, and we expect it to fulfill Arkus-Duntov’s longtime dream. But besides not cooking your feet, what are the advantages? And disadvantages?
It starts with weight distribution. Putting more weight on the rear-axle car helps with traction when accelerating. Corvettes make ample power these days, and the idea of making it easier to put that power down makes us smile. It certainly doesn’t hurt that there’s no driveshaft to turn anymore. More weight in back also means less up front, which can only help agility and turn-in prowess. Other benefits include more crumple zone in front and more sound to the driver. Corvettes were never quiet, but having an LT V8 suspended behind your head only increases your connection to the powertrain.
As for disadvantages, cooling becomes more difficult because the engine doesn’t take in all the air at the front of the car. Instead, it needs to travel through various channels to get to critical hot spots. A couple other drawbacks typical to midengine cars include no place for rear seats. No problem in ‘Vette world. Second, it cuts down on front legroom — see: McLaren 720S and its teeny pedalbox. It’s also more expensive.
So why go midengined now? Because the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks, especially in a car like the Corvette. And since the front-engine supercar already beats vehicles twice its price, we expect this new one to do the same, only better.
July 18, and the eventual first drive, can’t come soon enough.
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