Mid engine 800hp ZR1 Corvette [Rumor]

[AnthonyD1993]

It looks like C&D (or whoever sold them the photos) are now using drones to photograph prototypes/mules within private property. Anyone else bothered by this? I wonder if that is Milford proving ground? That's just up the road from me....

Look at it this way- since drones have been used to capture pictures of celebrities, why would it be a shock to have development mules photographed via drone? It was only a matter of time before someone started using drone footage to catch a mule. I myself don't agree with this, but given the fact that spy shots can bring in huge money if people can acquire them, shots like these were inevitable.

 

[mustafur]

That roof is from a corvette, the weird aero is probably to replecate the downforce they expect to make.

 

[carracerptp]

If this is for real how fast will it be? 458 Italia fast? 918 Spyder? With a 150K price point I can't see how they could build hypercar but I can't see how they could justify this car unless it was a lot faster than the Z06.

When I first saw the Z06 specs I couldn't help but feel they left some room on the table. I figured it was for a ZR1 down the road.

 

[CodeRedR51]

It looks like C&D (or whoever sold them the photos) are now using drones to photograph prototypes/mules within private property. Anyone else bothered by this? I wonder if that is Milford proving ground? That's just up the road from me....

This wouldn't fly out here in AZ, no pun intended. Nissan would put a stop to it immediately.

 

[JMoney]

Still doesn't prove that there will be a production mid-engined Corvette, only that GM is toying with the idea.

 

[Epic B]

This is apparently the MR 'Vette mule...

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...02/this-is-the-mid-engine-corvette-test-mule/

Interesting that it's a Holden Ute with massive flares and a giant wing on it... But... who would expect THAT to be a Corvette...

That mule looks awesome. Wouldn't it be cool if the production mid engine Corvette looked like that?

 

[Robin]

That mule looks awesome. Wouldn't it be cool if the production mid engine Corvette looked like that?

Yeah that thing looks amazing, like a Pikes Peak car (the Tacoma springs to mind). I would buy it as as a Holden, a Corvette... any GM thing!

 

[Slash]

That mule looks awesome. Wouldn't it be cool if the production mid engine Corvette looked like that?

Nope.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Imagine a MR ute with over 700 horsepower.

 

[Slash]

Still doesn't prove that there will be a production mid-engined Corvette, only that GM is toying with the idea.

Yeah, because GM can afford to waste their resources after US taxpayers just paid a combined $9.3 billion to bail them and Chrysler out as well as having 51 million recalls since 2011 (GM). Why bother with the R&D if they weren't going to do something with it...

 

[Epic B]

Yeah that thing looks amazing, like a Pikes Peak car (the Tacoma springs to mind). I would buy it as as a Holden, a Corvette... any GM thing!

Yeah, it does look kind of like a Pikes Peak car. It's different.

 

[Leggy1]

Yeah, because GM can afford to waste their resources after US taxpayers just paid a combined $9.3 billion to bail them and Chrysler out as well as having 51 million recalls since 2011 (GM). Why bother with the R&D if they weren't going to do something with it...

Perhaps it will be like VW's XL1, more for promotion rather than profit, with a very limited production run. The R&D costs may not be too high for this type of car from GM.

 

[Slash]

Perhaps it will be like VW's XL1, more for promotion rather than profit, with a very limited production run. The R&D costs may not be too high for this type of car from GM.

Even still, that's not a cheap car to develop and I have a feeling the entire chassis would be reworked with the C8. Nothing but MAYBE the body will be like the C7. It's almost an all new car, for what? A few models? A few models would be great.

I'm not saying it can't happen, but I can't see why they'd go through the trouble of all the R&D as well as going to lengths to even start putting prototypes together if they weren't actually going to build it. I feel like that's a slap in the face to all US taxpayers to waste that kind of money on developing a car they weren't going to do anything with. That's what I was inferring with Jmoney's post.

 

[JMoney]

Yeah, because GM can afford to waste their resources after US taxpayers just paid a combined $9.3 billion to bail them and Chrysler out as well as having 51 million recalls since 2011 (GM). Why bother with the R&D if they weren't going to do something with it...

All it is, as far as we know, is a Holden body welded around a Corvette interior. I'm sure it's not costing them much. We don't even know if this thing is mid-engined or not. Strangely, C&D never reported where the shots were taken; all we can tell is that the asphalt is very cracked in one photo, which isn't what I would expect at any official GM facility.

 

[Slash]

All it is, as far as we know, is a Holden body welded around a Corvette interior. I'm sure it's not costing them much. We don't even know if this thing is mid-engined or not. Strangely, C&D never reported where the shots were taken; all we can tell is that the asphalt is very cracked in one photo, which isn't what I would expect at any official GM facility.

What does how asphalt looks like have to do with anything

We have no idea what's under that body. We have no idea how much they are investing in it.

 

[Dennisch]

What if it isn't MR? What if we are looking at a new El Camino mule, and this is just the topspec one they are testing?

That's what I would rather see than an MR Corvette.

 

[JMoney]

I'm wondering what exactly they were doing with the car at the time the drone came by to take its picture. In each of the three shots the car is lined up square in a lane, but the lane appears to be different lane in each photo. In one, the asphalt is cracked badly and the car sits in a lane defined by white lines to either side; the one on the left may or may not be dashed as we only can see part of it. The second photo shows the car in a lane defined by a dashed white line on the left and a triple-layered white, dashed yellow, and blue line on the right. Notice the sun's angle on the car in the second photo is different from the first, as it casts a shadow from the right-rear of the car rather than the right-front. The third photo shows the car in a lane defined by a double-layer white and blue line on the right (which may contain a dashed yellow line in the middle), but no visible lines to the left. The shadow is lighter in the third photo, suggesting a cloud may have moved in front of the sun, and it projects from the right of the car, somewhat toward the rear.

Because the sun's angle is always different from the camera's as well as the car's, it must be concluded that the drone flew around the car as it moved slowly around a bend in the road.

 

[Leggy1]

What if it isn't MR? What if we are looking at a new El Camino mule, and this is just the topspec one they are testing?

That's what I would rather see than an MR Corvette.

There are large intakes on the side of the car, suggesting it's mid engined.

Although a new El Camino would be great, and GM has the parts bin for it (Holden).

Strangely, C&D never reported where the shots were taken; all we can tell is that the asphalt is very cracked in one photo, which isn't what I would expect at any official GM facility.

Poor surface test at a facility? Blue lines aren't normal I don't think, so it's most likely at a testing track/facility.

 

[Slash]

I don't think an El Camino styled ute has any market in the US.

I'd love to be proven wrong. 2016 El Camino SS with an LS7... yum

 

[Epic B]

I don't think an El Camino styled ute has any market in the US.

I'd love to be proven wrong. 2016 El Camino SS with an LS7... yum

GM actually almost brought over the Holden Ute, in the form of the Pontiac G8 ST. But it was cancelled I think because financial reasons. Also, Pontiac was near death anyway.

 

[jacnob]

I kinda doubt that there will be a mid-engined corvette this generation, despite those pictures. Why would they spend all of that effort on the chassis and suspension work when they could just upgrade the preexisting ones for now and save the change to MR until the next generation? That makes a lot more business sense to me. And besides the rumors for a MR Corvette have been floating around for years now in some form or another.

 

[chengman]

I'm just saying. Chevy Maloo made in America would get around the chicken tax and put up a fight against the SRT-10 RAM.

 

[JMoney]

My diagram... all we need to do is find a place that looks something like this, and we'll know where the photos were taken.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

View attachment 287403

My diagram... all we need to do is find a place that looks something like this, and we'll know where the photos were taken.

The sunlight is casting shadows onto the grass in every photo. The car isn't moving (much), the camera is. (Drone quad-copter circling overhead). I'm nearly certain that is the Milford Proving ground, from last week most likely. We only got snow a few days ago.

If I were to guess, I would say the shots were taken in the southwestern corner as its the furthest from the offices and close to a neighborhood. Somewhere around here: 42.563267,-83.695587

 

[GTboyz]

That mule reminds me a bit of Carrera GT

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

After watching Le Mans yesterday & today I thought of this thread and this supposed mid-engined corvette mule. Looking at it again, I don't think it's a mid engined car. The focal length on the lens used to take the photographs is very long so there is almost no perspectival distortion, allowing this little rough analysis.

Assuming the wheels are about 18-20" in diameter and the door shut line is somewhat in-plane with the car's firewall (provided it's MR) it leaves around 31" between the firewall and rear axle center line. While the LS engine is overall pretty compact, the bores are still pretty large meaning the engine is pretty long. Most sources online put the LSx at 27.5" long. The Corvette transaxle is very long because it doesn't need to be compact. The input-to-drive center length is like 22" and the overall length is 31" Its unlikely it would be suitable for any sort of MR car with decent packaging. There are smaller transaxles; here is one I found on the net, a Porsche 915 unit.

This is about the most compact input-to-drive center I found, with 9" needed and the axle gearbox component behind. Still though, it seems like it would be AWFULLY tight in there. Not to mention that approximately 1/3 of the engine would be below the greenhouse part of the car.

Barring the not-so-perfect analysis above, there are other things that make me question the theory of this being a mid engined car. There do not appear to be ANY ducts for the engine and cooling system that would indicate it's mid engined. If this really is an 800hp engine, it's going to be needing a TON of CFM for the engine and cooling flow, just look at a Lamborghini Aventador or Porsche 918 for reference. And those are production cars where aesthetics rules. On a mule, I would expect massive ducts to keep the thing cool and with plenty of oxygen for the engine. There appear to be a couple ducts in the wing supports, but is that enough for an engine and cooling system? I don't know, but I would guess no.

If I were to speculate, I would say it is indeed some sort of Corvette mule, but one for R&D on a new rear suspension and/or transaxle setup. The removable panel would facilitate this. In fact, I bet this was the mule for the 8 speed automatic that recently debuted in the Z06. The timeframe makes perfect sense.

 

[mustafur]

There is one, look at the front door, it is awkwardly shaped and suggests the intake may be under the door.