Alleged Mid-Engine Corvette CAD Images Leaked to Corvette Forum
This may be our best look yet at the Corvette that Zora Arkus-Duntov always envisioned.
A mysterious new thread appeared on the forum late last night from someone named simply “ZERV“. The thread was titled “Code name Zerv” and featured just two Imgur links to photos of what appear to be leaked CAD files for a mid-engine Corvette — the alleged upcoming C8 generation. ZERV has no other posts on the forum, and leaves behind no other identifying information, and shortly after the post was made, the photo links disappeared. Luckily, forum member “Firebirdfan” managed to download the pics before they were scrubbed from the internet.
These appear to be cell-phone captures of computer screens, judging by the screen distortion shown in the pictures. Someone was in a hurry to grab these snaps. Perhaps ZERV was left alone for too long in a GM engineer’s workshop? Who knows? Maybe ZERV is the name Tadge Juechter adopted in order to leak these photos himself to drum up free press for the Corvette. Either way, it worked.
Here is Firebirdfan’s take on the images shown:
-Coil springs (FINALLY).
-Magshocks (or spool valve, either way, fancy shocks).
-Upper front arms look to be similar to C5/6/7 with trunnions.
-Lower front arms look to be similar to C5/6/7 with camber eccentrics.
-Rear subframe is HUGE and is a very strange mix of cast parts and welded tube. Can’t tell if it’s welded or bolted together in the middle.
-Engine is an LT1.
-Looks like factory shorty headers instead of cast manifolds.
-Engine has alternator relocated.
-Not sure what the upper-right accessory pulley is for. Upper left is water pump, lower right is A/C.
-Oil filter looks easy to get to.
-Oil cooler clearly shown above filter.
-Half-shafts look to be the “bolt on flange” style (no draining trans to remove shafts).
-That transaxle is BEEFY. Like, dear god. Can’t tell if it’s auto or manual. If I had to wager, that’s the automatic (guessing from shape of bottom of trans and what looks to be coolers hanging around it).
-Giant flat space above transaxle is more than likely for intake box/filter.
-No turbos shown.
-Frame looks to be similar to C5/6/7 with giant hydroformed rails (probably still aluminum). Disappointing. I was hoping for proper unibody. Hopefully with a fixed roof it’ll be stiffer.
-Brake rotors are one-piece. Calipers are MASSIVE.
-Side skirts are mechanically fastened just like C5/6/7. Still going to be horrendously expensive to fix if damaged.
-Brake ducts clearly shown on front.
Also of interest, an eagle-eyed “MikeG37” made this connection between the CAD image and the camo cars that have been seen floating around the internet lately. What’s your take on all this? Do you think these are real computer-drafted images of the mid-engine Corvette’s inner workings, or are we looking at something else entirely? Keep checking back on CorvetteForum.com for more information as it becomes available.
