Mid-Engine V6 Turbo – The Future of the Corvette?
If someone were to say they were buying a V6 Turbo Mid-Engine vehicle, one of the last cars that would come to mind for me would be a Corvette. At least, that's how it used to be. Following closely behind reports that Chevrolet's moving to a smaller displacement, forced induction engine to provide their stock Corvette with the power expected in a Corvette at the MPG efficiency mandated by the Government, more word (or rumour, depending upon how you look at it) is hitting the streets concerning the Corvette's future. An anonymous source, who was a former engineering head for Saab and a reputable inside source, just came forward and gave details about his direct involvement in the development of a mid-engine Corvette build. Supposedly, GM had been exploring the mid-engine chassis as a reputable future for the Corvette to provide improved performance handling in a more concise and evenly weighted package. The mid-engine thing, while a little blasphemous to the history of the Corvette, is very cool to me. Mid-engine designs are incredibly well weighted and should provide a greater rear-end grip on the C7 Corvette. But, the other news is not as exciting.
I understand where GM stands right now: between a rock and a hard place. On one hand they have their loyal fan-base of Vette-ophiles who expect a V8 and love Chevy for delivering that. On the other hand, there's the government who's placing heavy mandates (for better or for worse, that's a politics argument I don't want to host) on the MPG efficiency of new vehicles. These more stringent vehicle requirements pretty much guarantee that the V8--in its current state--will become a thing of the past. This is terrible and sad news, especially considering that the new Turbo-V6 Corvette powersource means less true HP and Torque, and less ceiling for vehicle modification. The beauty of the Naturally Aspirated V8 is that, with the addition of a forced induction system, you're suddenly pushing HP numbers so gaudy they'll make your grandmother blush. Selling the Corvette with a stock forced induction system means that the engine's already being pushed to its more extreme levels. More HP can always be had, but it's suddenly not as easy. Of course, the vehicle will provide equivalent HP in a more efficient package, so there's the trade off. The biggest issue in all of it for me, considering the equivalency out of the gate in HP, is the loss of exhaust tone. Sometimes, nothing but a V8 will do, and such is the case with my Corvette. If I want a 500+ HP vehicle that sounds like a 250HP vehicle, I'll buy Japanese. Sorry Nissan GT-R, you're a beautiful, incredible, piece of technologically advanced machinery, but you lack the soul that the Corvette has.
Of course, there's other good news in all of this. The same former Saab engineer who spoke on the mid-engine designs also detailed a wet-clutch transmission that they had had in the works which was designed to withstand over 590 LBS of Torque. 590 Torque! That's a pretty fantastic number! Also, wet-clutch transmission! That right there, is something I am excited to see in the new Corvette. So, there you have it, the rumored future of the Corvette. What do you think? Sound off!