Mid-Engine Corvette: Our Best Look Yet

Did somebody say ‘McDonald’s?’ We catch new Chevrolet supercar grabbing a bite to eat.

As we get closer to the announcement of the mid-engine Corvette, we’re bound to start seeing the car out testing. Today we have the closest look yet at the upcoming supercar-fighter thanks to some eagle eyes and a local McDonald’s.

We can only assume the mule driver was hoping for some Szechuan McNugget sauce. Sadly, they’ll be disappointed. Also, they’ll be disappointed to find out they were captured on film driving a car that has been decades in the making.

While it looks different than a normal Corvette — it should — it’s clearly inspired by the current Corvette. Especially in profile view, it looks like something similar to what currently rolls off the line in Bowling Green, just with a bit more stretch in the rear.

The car also looks wider, with stretched-out headlights up front. The camo on the hood indicates that there still is a vent there, but it’s unclear if there’s anything actually underneath. Because the engine is behind the driver, the space up front should be devoted to storage.

When the car finally arrives, we’re expecting it to sit just north of the upcoming ZR1 in both price and performance. The supercar-fighter should come in at around $130,000 or so to start, and have the same V8 that’s in the new ZR1.

With the 10-speed automatic, which might be the only transmission, we expect the mid-engine Corvette to easily target the more expensive Audi R8 V10 in track performance as well as everyday drivability. Remember, Corvette was always the sports car you could drive everyday. We expect the mid-engine ‘Vette to be the same.

While we expect a fully-loaded mid-engine Corvette to bump up against the starting price of an Audi R8 V10, expect the performance to punch higher than that. The Lamborghini Huracán and Ferrari 488 GTB are likely the benchmarks for this car. But unlike those two cars, the Corvette will be tens of thousands less.

Dear General Motors, consider our appetites sufficiently whetted.