The Corvette faithful are eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the Corvette ZR1 but fans who want to check out the Corvette factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky better act fast as General Motors is temporary halting tours for the next 18 months.
In an interview with the Bowling Green Daily News, National Corvette Museum Marketing and Communications Manager, Katie Frassinelli, said the plant is gearing up to go through a series of extensive changes and tours will be halted after June 16th.
Details are limited at this point but Frassinelli says the plant will be reconfigured and equipped with a new paint shop that is integrated into the assembly line. This should help to streamline production as the current paint shop is “on the opposite side of the plant.”
General Motors isn’t talking but the pause in factory tours concedes with the rumored launch timing of the mid-engine C8. Rumors suggest the car could be unveiled at the 2018 North American International Auto Show and be powered by a familiar V8 engine.
The model is expected to go on sale approximately one year later and could eventually be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Unfortunately, the switch to a mid-engine platform could cause the company to ditch the manual and offer the C8 exclusively with a dual-clutch gearbox.
Rendering by Corvette Forum
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