All we know about the Corvette C8 Mid-Engine 2020



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Image: Chevrolet

The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray mid-engined will debut in three days. Although there is still much to learn, we have heard a lot about it over the years. Here is an overview of what we know and what we think we know about Chevy's next supercar.

The world has been talking about mid-engine Corvettes for about half a century now, but for every new generation, the affordable General Motors supercar has kept its engine at the forefront. This new launch Thursday promises however to change that, GM confirming that the Corvette C8 will finally have an engine between its axles.

But apart from the configuration of the powertrain, we know a little more about this new cassette. Here is an overview:

It could look like that

As was the case before the launch of the Corvette C7, images of the new vet fled. The photo above was sent to Corvette Forum and Instagram and was originally posted on Corvette Blogger. It shows the tail of a vehicle whose characteristics are very similar to those of Corvette test cars running. I bet it's legitimate.

This steering wheel is also legitimate, since it is Chevrolet that posted it. It's a two-spoke model with integrated shift paddles, and my boss, Patrick, thinks it's a "solid evolution from the outgoing C7 wheel." I agree, although I'm not usually a fan of two branches.

If you want to take a look at the complete interior of the Corvette, Carscoops offers detailed images showing the dashboard and the center console area. It looks … interesting.

Image: Chevrolet

Although the shuttlecock is official and the picture of the rear spy looks like reality, the picture of the spy we saw in front is much more dubious, mainly because it is grainy and comes from a random YouTuber.

This random YouTuber calls Street Speed ​​717, and you can see his video on the new Corvette here:

For reference, here is a spy photo of a development car:

Photo: Stefan Baldauf

We have a ton of spies drawn from the upcoming Corvette, so watch them here.

It sounds like that

C8 corvettes have been seen – and mostly heard – around the world. So there is already a fairly large collection of audio clips on the exhaust gases, like the one presented above. And Chevrolet has even released its own clip on the launch page of the Corvette. The thing sounds good; I can not wait to hear it in person.

A 6.2-liter "LT2" V8 transmission and eight-speed dual-clutch

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Last March, Bozi Tatarevic, a Jalopnik contributor, got his hands on what appears to be a leak in the Corvette command guide, which apparently indicates that the new Corvette will get a V8 engine and an automatic double-clutch transmission. From Bozi:

The first screen capture begins with the details of the powertrain and shows that the unique engine option of this document is LT2 encoded. The abbreviations of the engine indicate that it is an eight-cylinder high efficiency aluminum engine, direct injection, variable valve timing and active fuel management. This engine is probably an update of the current LT1 engine, which means that it will be the basic option and that it should generate between 460 and 500 horsepower depending on the specifications of the current model.

Rumors have run that the C8 would be the first twin-clutch transmission Corvette, and this document seems to confirm this. The sheet lists a "M1L" transmission code, described as an "8-speed automatic dual clutch".

Check out the full story here, which shows that the C8 can share quite a bit of equipment with the outgoing C7.

Other engine options? Maybe a hybrid?

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But the Corvette will almost certainly offer a wealth of engine options. And as supercars are electrifying nowadays, if the Corvette wants to be considered a truly modern supercar, it will also have to do the same.

So it's not surprising that in May 2018, Car And Driver speculated that the new Corvette would offer not only a 600 hp flatbed and crank V8, but also a flat double crank V8. 800 HP turbocharger to join a 6.2 engine A V8 thrust link, but also a hybrid that, according to the website, had been able to "combine a power of up to 1,000 horsepower", according to the April website of this year. "From C & D:

But hang in there: what if we told you that in a few years, Chevy would add a 200 hp electric motor to the mix? The 5.5 liter twin-turbo V-8 will mistreat the rear tires while the electric motor, housed in what would typically be a front trunk, will boost the front wheels. That's right: this Corvette with mid engine / front engine will have a power rating equal to or close to the four-digit mark.

We also heard about a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8, although GM Authority wrote in March of last year that Cadillac's director, Johan de Nysshen, had put an end to rumors that the brand's Blackwing 4.2-liter V8 would enter a Corvette. But I suppose the vette could use a variant of this engine? We simply do not know.

This is what it looks like by browsing the Nürburgring

Discover the Corvette tested on the legendary Nürburgring.

Rear coil springs?

The Corvette has long used composite transverse leaf springs in the front and the back. For 2020, it seems that this tradition can disappear in favor of a more traditional coil spring suspension, that is to say if one wants to trust the CAD images that have leaked from a user CorvetteForum firebirdfan.

What about the name? Will there be two variants?

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We know for sure that the vehicle that will debut Thursday will call the Corvette Stingray, but earlier this year we had explained how GM had registered the brand "Zora", first name of Zora Arkus-Duntov, father of the Corvette. Motor1 guesses that the high-end variant of the new Corvette could have this new name, and that sounds plausible.

The concept of the front-engine C7 was also mentioned some time ago as a less expensive solution, while the C8 tackles big dogs like the Acura NSX, the Porsche 911 and the Audi R8. But as the latest C7 car was auctioned in June, it would appear that a front-engine Corvette is missing, as Bozi Tatarevic wrote in his April 2019 article on the sale to auction:

The announcement, made by GM's chief executive, Mary Barra, confirms my suspicions that, despite rumors to the contrary, C7 production will not continue alongside the C8 generation mid-engined car.

Prior to this auction, Bozi had discovered information suggesting that two Corvette rigs were actually in development. From its history:

The new generation Corvette currently has two working platform names, according to LinkedIn's public profiles, "Y2XX" for the standard front-engine car and "ZERV" for the mid-engined car. This is not surprising since the C7 has used the common name of "Y1XX" and the ZERV name seems very much related to the CERV name previously used for central engine projects.

But the idea that GM would develop two new Corvettes seems highly unlikely.

It's possible that it does not cost as much as you fear

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A big question about the Corvette C8 is the price. Is GM trying to move upmarket with this new mid-engine machine? That's really what everyone wants to know, but Car & Driver says you should expect the car to start at $ 62,000. Hagerty, who claims to have "well-placed sources," said in March that we should expect the base car to cost "between $ 60,000 and $ 70,000". I hope they are right both.

After a number of delays, including one that, according to Hagerty, concerned "the distortion of the aluminum space cell when tested on a prototype equipped with 900-to-1000 horsepower V-8 bi-turbo", GM will finally show the new Corvette world on Thursday at 22.30 ET. It is only then that we will know how many elements of this list are legitimate and how much are bullshit.

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