It's Here! Inside The All New Mid-Engine Corvette
Motor Trend|September 2019

The mid-engine Corvette is here … and we’re in it

Frank Markus
It's Here! Inside The All New Mid-Engine Corvette

We’re none too pleased to have you here.”

Soul-crushing words from Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter. Chevy’s PR department, relenting to MotorTrend’s barrage of begging for early C8 Corvette access, has twisted Juechter’s arm into letting me ride shotgun for three rotations of a development drive in the latest C8 prototypes.

His team is loath to expose the press to anything less than a fully baked, buffed, and polished, production-ready, no-excuses Corvette—and this drive is a crucial step in that process. Upon solemnly swearing not to report on any quality lapses I may detect, I strap into the right seat of a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 with FE4 suspension.

“Cars are complicated,” Juechter deadpans, noting that writing, developing, and perfecting the software that controls the myriad microchips, solenoids, motors, features, and functions on a modern car takes vastly longer than any other aspect of bringing a car to market.

The process starts at vehicle inception, and final calibration tweaks are made right up to and sometimes past launch. On today’s drive, Juechter’s team is scrutinizing powertrain calibrations—especially concerning launch feel and the ability of the clutches in the Tremec eight-speed twin-clutch transmission to mask the 6.2-liter V-8’s transitions into and out of four-cylinder mode at various cruising speeds.

Developing a suitable transaxle has been a limiting factor to the concept of a mid-engine Corvette since the 1960s, when transaxles from the front-drive Oldsmobile Toronado and rear-drive Pontiac Tempest proved inadequate. My ride, precisely six weeks in advance of the press launch, reveals a pretty impressive state of tune.

This story is from the September 2019 edition of Motor Trend.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2019 edition of Motor Trend.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOTOR TRENDView All
2023 GMC Canyon
Motor Trend

2023 GMC Canyon

MC, the luxe-truck division of General Motors, has long struggled to differentiate its products from mechanically similar Chevrolets.

time-read
3 mins  |
Spring 2024
2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty
Motor Trend

2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty

The heavy-duty truck world moves more slowly than other pickup classes, and progress comes in spurts. Take the Ford F-Series Super Duty, whose recent refresh included softer-edged styling, a new entry-level gas-fed V-8, a new high-output 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8, and myriad small improvements like new bedside steps. Is it still basically the same truck as before? Absolutely, but it’s also a better Super Duty, however incrementally.

time-read
2 mins  |
Spring 2024
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD
Motor Trend

2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD

When Chevrolet unveiled its all-new 2020 Silverado HD lineup, it set the truck  world ablaze, and not in a good way.

time-read
3 mins  |
Spring 2024
THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR
Motor Trend

THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR

A BROAD LINEUP DELIVERS AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE TO EVERYDAY LIVABILITY

time-read
8 mins  |
Spring 2024
HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE 80?!
Motor Trend

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE 80?!

THE FIRST-GENERATION NISSAN PATHFINDER IS AN SUV THROWBACK TO A TOTALLY RAD TIME, FOR SURE

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2024
BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te
Motor Trend

BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te

THIS ELECTRIC BMW RESTOMOD LOSES ITS ENGINE BUT NOT ITS SOUL

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2024
2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS FIRST TEST
Motor Trend

2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS FIRST TEST

PORSCHE'S MOST FOCUSED 911 OF ALL TIME MUST BE EXPERIENCED AT ITS LIMITS TO BE UNDERSTOOD

time-read
6 mins  |
Spring 2024
2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN
Motor Trend

2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN

AFTER DECADES IN THE WEST, TRUCK OF THE YEAR MOVES TO MICHIGAN

time-read
3 mins  |
Spring 2024
YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE
Motor Trend

YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Was there ever any doubt? MotorTrend readers are largely American, and as much as we love Jeeps, Mustangs, and F-150s in this country, the Corvette has been “America’s sports car” for nearly as long as this publication has existed. That’s why you chose it via our online vote as the most iconic car of the past 75 years.

time-read
4 mins  |
Spring 2024
MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Motor Trend

MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

The 10 Most Iconic Vehicles of Our Time and Much More

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2024