Mid-Engine C7 Corvette?

That’s the rumor – again.

Every new Corvette since the C3 has been rumored to be mid-engine. Zora Arkus-Duntov, the first Chief Engineer for Corvette, wanted a mid-engine design and Chevrolet built a stunning mid-engine design study in the seventies. But the layout has never been seriously considered for the production car.

Until now, at least if you can believe the prognostication in Autoextremist.

According to Peter DeLorenzo, the next generation Corvette is almost certain to be a mid-engined car. He bases that prediction, he says, on conversations he has had within the past week with high level GM executives.

According to DeLorenzo, the original plan of a C7 which was an evolutionary update of the C6 design, accompanied by limited production supercar Corvette, has been discarded. Instead, Chevrolet will build one Corvette and that Corvette will be a mid-engine car. DeLorenzo also claims to have seen “digital images” of the car, or at least design studies for it, which he describes as “sensational looking.”

Among the other things DeLorenzo reports:

Chevrolet has found a way to adequately cool the mid-engined layout and has also found a way to produce a cost-effective transaxle.

The car will continue to be “value priced,” in comparison to other cars of similar performance.
The styling is instantly recognizable as a Corvette.

Using a mid-engine layout provides a competitor to cars such as the new Audi supercar and serves as a technological leader for GM.

A mid-engined layout gives the Corvette racing program a significant leg up in the quest to get the overall win at the 24 Hours of LeMans.

Lorenzo says the final decision is due the first week in September and that if the car is green-lighted, which he believes to be a certainty, it will be a 2010 model.

Here’s the link to the complete article