Autocar posted an article on their site today with the title Mid-engined Corvette ‘confirmed’ and it has been spreading its way through the internet quickly. They reveal that a “senior Saab source” confirmed that prior to the 2008 financial downturn Saab was working on a dual-clutch gearbox for the car. Once the financial crisis hit the project was tabled. Autocar states “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.” They also write “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.” I’m not holding my breath.

I’m not exactly sure where they hear these “rumors” or what their “sources” are, but this doesn’t seem to make much sense to me. While it is easy for me to believe that GM would begin using a smaller turbocharged engine, as many other carmakers are beginning to do for emissions and fuel economy reasons, I seriously doubt they would turn the Corvette into a mid-engined car. And if they did, I think that is a BAD IDEA. It’s like Porsche saying that they’re going to make the 911 a mid or front-engined car. I’m sorry…..WHAT?

While I’m not a hug fan of the Corvette, but it is an American muscle car icon. It’s been around for almost 60 years! What would be the point of a mid-engine Corvette? You just don’t mess with that kind of history.

If GM is truly developing a mid-engine car, wouldn’t it be smart to just create an all new car and keep the Corvette the way it is? Now, it probably wouldn’t make sense for GM to create another supercar under the Chevy brand. So just create a mid-engined Cadillac! In my opinion this would be the best way to go. A mid-engine sports car from GM should be competing against the likes of the Audi R8, Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari 458, etc.. And you’re not going to do that with a Chevy. At least if you want to make something truly special. That’s what is great about the Corvette. It provides supercar performance at a reasonable price. They don’t need to spend a lot of money on exotic materials and fancy interiors. They just need to make it fast.

Using the Cadillac brand for a new GM mid-engined supercar makes the most sense. They could build an entirely new car from the ground up. They wouldn’t need to adhere to any pre-determined design ideologies, they could set a price for the car beyond the current going rate for the Corvette and yet still keep it affordable.

So, maybe Autocar’s sources are good, whoever they are. But I just don’t believe it.

What do you think?