Come again? Mid-engined Corvette development confirmed... by Saab engineers?

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Aug 5, 2010 | 04:13 PM

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Come again? Mid-engined Corvette development confirmed... by Saab engineers?

1990 General Motors CERV III concept - Image thanks to Autoblog

"The much-rumored mid-engined Corvette project has been unexpectedly confirmed by a senior Saab source. The engineer revealed in a trade magazine that Saab’s engineers had developed a double-clutch transmission for a "mid-engined version of the Corvette" when Saab was General Motors' centre of competence for those systems.

The source also revealed that the wet-clutch transmission was designed to cope with up to 590lbft of torque, only marginally less than delivered by today’s Corvette ZR-1 V8.

The news of the DCT project confirms just how serious GM was about shifting to a mid-engined layout for the new-generation car. It’s thought that the mid-engined Corvette concept was fully engineered but became a victim of the credit crunch in 2008. However, the latest rumours from the US suggest the mid-engined layout is now back on the agenda for the next-generation C8 Corvette, which is expected to arrive in five years’ time.

GM bosses are also said to be considering downsizing to a V6 engine, probably backed up by turbochargers. The C8 could also be more compact and lighter, possibly using more aluminium in its construction. There have been numerous mid-engined Corvette concepts since the 1960s; the last concept to feature such a layout was the CERV III in 1990 (above)"

Source [ Autocar]