With the current C6 iteration currently in its seventh year on sale, the venerable Chevrolet Corvette is ripe for a reboot. Testing of the new model is well underway, as evidenced by these spy shots of a camouflaged fleet of ‘Vettes on the road in the USA.
Likely to arrive in 2013 as a US market 2014 model year car, the new Corvette will remain true to its tried-and-tested roots rather than shaping up in a radical new form.
Expectations of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette
There was much conjecture in the early stages of the Corvette striptease as to whether the car would remain resolutely front-engined, or chase Ferrari and Lamborghini with a more exotic mid-engined layout. From the large cooling vents in the front of this camouflaged car, but none in the rear quarters, we can surmise that the Vette will keep its engine in front of the driver – a boon for practicality versus the Italian exotica.
And what of that engine? Well, V8s are of course the most likely avenue. Capacity will stand at 5.5 litres – down from 6.2 – but insiders tell CAR output will remain very close to the current car’s 440bhp
Some US sources report that even turbocharged V6 mills could be employed for the more modest models. Hopefully, a supercharged version with over 600bhp will arrive in due course to challenge the 640bhp Dodge SRT Viper and succeed the range-topping Corvette ZR1.
In terms of transmissions, the next Corvette will ape Porsche by offering seven-speed manual and automatic transmissions – the latter being a dual clutch affair with launch control for drag-strip getaways. Weight is also expected to come down from the current car’s 1440kg mass.