January 23: Mid-engined Corvette - when??

Here is without a doubt the biggest disappointment for us car people. This is the big no-show from the Detroit auto show last week, the expected and the much rumoured mid-engined Corvette. These spy shots have been circulating around the net for several months and they show a fairly production ready car, not some hacked together mule, that may or may not be a real upcoming car. So what happened? Did Chevrolet not want to eclipse the new full size pick-up intro? Maybe they felt the Chicago or New York shows would be a better venue? Unlikely due to their smaller size and this is a big deal intro. Maybe since the 2019 ZR1 was first shown at Dubai, a show in Europe, like Geneva or Frankfurt might be a good choice. Why? Well, this is a car that GM hopes will show well against the other established supercars, so why not unveil it in their backyard?

Worse case? This has been another tease and god knows there have been enough of them over the years, from this rather conservative tail heavy one from the late '60's.........

.........to this myriad of stunning maybes from the next three decades.........

Any one of these could have worked for the brand. Possibly alienate the Vette's traditional fan base? If that was the thought, then still sell the front motored one along side one of these, until Chevrolet was forgiven and the traditionalists saw the light. Maybe GM didn't see those foreigners as the Corvette's real competition back then. Well folks, if not then, no question that they are the real competition in 2018 and beyond.

One more to consider........

Seen enough? Yeah, well we all have over the years. Every time a new generation of Corvette was being readied for release to the salivating sportscar loving public, there would be a rumour that a mid-engined version was under consideration.

Fast forward to today and the rumour mill is smokin', it's been worked so hard, aided and abetted by those spy photos. "Take it off, take it all off.", we screamed, referring of course to that camo covering. No luck. Detroit has come and gone, no new Vette, but with an apparent insider saying the covers will come off at Detroit 2019. Really? By that time, with all the subsequent spy shots, it may be an anticlimax. Worse case, this is another never-to-be car. Perish the thought!

For car folks, hope springs eternal. Will this car finally see the light of day and look like these pics sneaked onto Corvette Forum?

 

If it does show up and if this is indeed the finished product, I think the line up for this beauty will be longer than a list of Trump's mis-statements over the past year.

Enthusiasts, write those letters. Cross fingers, toes or whatever you have. Religious types can pray that this isn't just another tease. And, by all means start saving.

Until next time.........