Rumors of a mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette are spicing up after Katech, a former General Motors supplier posted a picture and details about the car on its website.
Katech once worked on the engines used by the Corvette Racing squad, before GM decided to make the race team an entirely in-house operation. As a result, the company likely knows a thing or two about Corvette’s plans.
In the image posted but since removed by Katech, the car is revealed as the C8 Corvette ZR1/Zora, in line with previous reports that the car would be adorned with the Zora nameplate, in a nod to Zora Arkus-Duntov who pushed for a mid-engined Corvette since the car’s inception. The small sketch of the car itself then shows a characteristic Corvette shape including similar headlights and an even more pointed fascia than the current car.
Based on this picture, it seems possible that the model in question will be powered by a brand new supercharged V8 engine dubbed the LT5 and bound to be even more potent than the 650 hp LT4 of the current Z06.
While speculation of a mid-engined Corvette has followed the car around for decades, it seems more likely now than ever that such a model is secretly behind developed. It would not only provide Chevrolet with a rival to the new Ford GT, but help push the Corvette into a performance bracket that front-engined cars simply can’t achieve without massive compromises.
The fact that Chevy is also investing $290 million into the Corvette’s production facility suggests that some serious Corvette changes are on the horizon.
If the car comes to fruition, expect it to be released at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show.
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