[SPIED] The Mid-Engine C8 Corvette Testing with Skimpier Camouflage

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[SPIED] The Mid-Engine C8 Corvette Testing with Skimpier Camouflage


Another batch of spy photos of the Mid-Engine C8 Corvette broke cover yesterday. The prototypes were spotted again as they were being tested on a snowy track somewhere very cold.

Compared to the spy photos that broke in early January 2018, these C8 prototypes appear to have a little less camouflage along the front fascia while the bottom portion of the rear fascia and dual square exhaust ports are once again completely exposed.

Check out the full gallery of spy photos from our friends at AutoBlog:


The camouflage rear cover that is draped over the engine compartment may show some sort of flying buttress design with arches on the sides while the engine compartment is nestled between them. It will be interesting to see how the Corvette Design team displays the C8’s powerplant. The Corvettes have traditionally had rear sloped glass on the rear hatch. Will we see a similar sloped rear glass with the Corvette engine under it? Or, as Autoblog believes, a small upright rear window with a flatter rear deck.

FYI, this previous spy photo from August 2016 appears to confirm the flying buttresses with the flat rear deck.

We see two sets of wheels on these prototypes, the original C8 wheel with the thin five spoke star design on top of another star-patterned design and the slightly twisted matte black tuning-fork style wheels with the machined lip. Inside the wheel wells are the standard steel rotors which lead us to believe these are the entry-level versions that are being tested. You can also make out the dual calipers on the rear wheels which were spotted previously.

One interesting tidbit is the appearance of what looks to be a rear camera situated in the middle of the roof. With the camouflage covers on the rear blocking a rearview mirror, the rear camera could just be an engineering safety feature to offer increased visibility to the driver. We see it on one of the prototypes but not the other so we’ll keep an eye out for this in future photos.

We expect Chevy to spend most of 2018 testing and refining the new C8 Corvettes prior to a launch in January 2019 at the North American International Auto Show. However, I could see an earlier reveal happening if that helps Corvette Racing get the new C8.Rs to the track sooner.

Stay tuned…


Source:
Autoblog.com

Related:
Additional Leaked C8 Corvette CAD Drawings Point to a Turbocharged Engine Called the LT7
Road and Track Has Video of Mid Engine C8 Corvettes Driving Down the Highway
[SPIED] Camouflaged Mid Engine C8 Corvette Spotted in Public for First Time

 



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3 COMMENTS

  1. The flying buttress in the photos are really straps that connect and secure the camouflage at the rear wheel wells. The straps “batten down the hatches” for the camouflaging material against the force of the 100+MPH head winds at speed.

  2. Interested to see how they make a mid engined corvette look like a corvette instead of any other mid engined sportscar. Gonna be a challenge. Would like to see the return of circular taillights

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