Skip to main content

Ferrari, you’re on notice. The 2017 Corvette ZR1 to go mid-engined

A new report finds Chevrolet will break with tradition and introduce a mid-engined Corvette in 2017.

The idea of a mid-engined Corvette isn’t new. Chevrolet reportedly started to develop a mid-engined architecture for the seventh-gen ‘Vette but it was forced to put the project on hiatus when parent company General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Sources close to Chevrolet have revealed the chassis was nearly finished, and Car & Driver reports it has been dusted off to underpin the next ZR1.

Power for the next ZR1 will reportedly come from small block V8 engine that will be more powerful than the supercharged 650-horsepower unit found under the hood of the Z06 (pictured). The ZR1’s suspension and brake components will be sourced from the C7 ‘Vette parts bin and modified to handle the extra power.

Related: GM to restore three sinkhole-damaged Corvettes

Car & Driver speculates the upcoming Corvette ZR1 will cost over $100,000 when it lands in showrooms in 2017. Historically a low-volume model, the range-topping ZR1 will allow Chevrolet to test the public’s reaction to a mid-engined ‘Vette, an idea that is still controversial in the minds of many enthusiasts. However, if everything goes according to plan, all versions of the eighth-gen Corvette will ride on an evolution of the ZR1’s mid-engined chassis.

Shifting the Corvette to a mid-engined layout will allow Chevrolet to move it up a notch on the market. The Camaro will also shift up, leaving room for a long-rumored rear-wheel drive model to slot in at the bottom of the Bowtie’s sports car lineup.

Editors' Recommendations

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally kicks up some dirt
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally driving on a dirt road.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV pushed the hallowed Mustang nameplate in a different direction, and it's doing that again with a new performance variant. Debuting in 2024, the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is designed for fun on both pavement and dirt.

Rallying is a form of motorsport where drivers compete to set the quickest time over a course — usually a closed road or trail — rather than a dedicated racetrack that includes a variety of surfaces like dirt, gravel, or even snow. Rallying has inspired some epic performance road cars over the years, including the Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Ford's own Focus RS, but it's never really been associated with the Mustang.

Read more
BMW scraps its unpopular approach to heated seats
Driver's seat and dashboard of the 2023 BMW iX M60.

BMW caused much consternation last year when it launched a subscription-only option for heated car seats.

The idea of having to pay a monthly fee of $18 to keep your posterior warm during the winter months still seems as absurd as ever, but the good news is that the German automaker has now decided to scrap the fee. What particularly irked customers was that they felt they were being forced to cough up extra for functions that would previously have been expected as standard. The fiasco even prompted a community of hackers to offer their services to unlock the feature for those unwilling to pay extra for it.

Read more
Cruise says it’s nearing approval for mass production of futuristic robotaxi
Interior of Cruise's Origin vehicle.

Robotaxi company Cruise is “just days away” from getting regulatory approval that would pave the way for mass production of its purpose-built driverless vehicle, CEO Kyle Vogt said on Thursday in comments reported by the Detroit Free Press.

General Motors-backed Cruise unveiled the vehicle -- called Origin -- in early 2020, presenting the kind of driverless car that we all dreamed of when R&D in the sector kicked off years ago; a vehicle without a steering wheel and without pedals. A vehicle with passenger seats only.

Read more