The first ever set of pictures of the hotly rumoured mid-engined 2017 Chevrolet Corvette have surfaced on the interweb courtesy of Car and Driver. Word had been going around a few months after the seventh generation of the iconic American sports car was launched in mid-2013 and now it appears that GM will now radicalise one of its most famous designs to appeal to a new set of petrol heads.
The picture reveals that the test car sports the front and side profile of a Holden Commodore SSV while the cabin has been taken from the current Stingray model. It’s when you go to the rear that things start to look (sort of) exciting. We believe that the flatbed rear fitted with a large wing is hiding a smaller V8 mill that will send power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic.
Car and Driver suggests that this car has a shorter wheelbase that the current Stingray resulting in the transmission moving behind the rear axle. The shorter wheelbase means the steering responses and turning radius will be far better than the current model. More weight on the rear wheels also means better traction off the line as well as braking distance.
It is expected to look exactly like the Stingray but will retain the current shape as we see in the photos. Probable for a 2017 launch, it will mostly be sold alongside the current car with an increase in price.
