Two hours into the 1957 12-hour Sebring Grand Prix, driver John Fitch dove into the pits to abandon his Corvette Super Sport. Officials were told a failed rear-suspension bushing prompted the DNF, but the real reason behind the early retirement was that Fitch couldn't take the heat. Literally. Exhaust pipes snaking through the experimental sports racer's magnesium body had cooked his feet.
Pondering the demise of his Sebring project, Corvette patron saint Zora Arkus-Duntov concluded, "The heat source must be behind the driver." From then on, Arkus-Duntov's pursuit of a mid-engined Corvette never wavered. His legacy is this family album of experiments, prototypes, concepts, and stillborn production proposals.
1960 CERV I
To test his theories, Arkus-Duntov built the single-seat Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle with a 353-hp aluminum-block V-8 driving the rear wheels through a four-speed transaxle. CERV I served as a test bed for the production C2 Corvette's independent rear suspension. After attacking Pikes Peak, Arkus-Duntov lapped GM's Milford proving grounds at 206 mph in this car.
1964 CERV II
Arkus-Duntov's next CERV was this sports roadster. A monocoque chassis carried a 6.2-liter small-block V-8 powering all four wheels through two compact transaxles. (Ferrari's FF uses a similar scheme.) Calculations predicted acceleration to 60 mph in less than three seconds and a top speed of 214 mph.
1968 Astro II
Reacting to Ford's successful GT40 road racer, GM's R&D staff ginned up a stunning concept car for that year's New York auto show. The mechanicals included a 390-hp big-block V-8 torturing a Pontiac Tempest two-speed automatic transaxle.
1970 XP-882 Corvette Prototype
Designed to defuse Ford's launch of the De Tomaso Pantera at the 1970 New York show, this concept had parts from an Olds Toronado transaxle driving the rear wheels.
1972 XP-895
Conceived by GM and Reynolds Metals, the aluminum XP-895 weighed 500 pounds less than a steel-bodied alternative. It was deemed too expensive to put into production.
1973 Two Rotor
This Frankfurt showpiece consisted of a modified Porsche 914 chassis and a 180-hp two-rotor Wankel engine wrapped in a GM-designed body.
1973 Four Rotor
Arkus-Duntov's favorite Corvette design bowed at the 1973 Paris Salon with two Wankel engines locked and loaded just ahead of its rear wheels. After GM's rotary program died, the company bolted in a small-block V-8 and rechristened this car "Aerovette."
1986 Indy
This technological tour de force featured a twin-turbo V-8, four-wheel drive, active suspension, and four-wheel steering. Renamed CERV III, this car was updated for 1990 with a larger engine and lighter body panels.
2002 Cadillac Cien
Cadillac celebrated its centennial with this supercar. The Cien was a razor-edged two-seater energized by a 750-hp 7.5-liter V-12 and a six-speed paddle-shifted transaxle. A carbon-composite body kept the projected weight down to 3350 pounds. No, it wasn't called a Corvette. But then neither were most of the other mid-engine concepts.
2006–2008 C7 Engineering Proposal
A mid-engined Corvette was closer to production reality than you might think. Championed by then assistant chief engineer Tadge Juechter, the Corvette group in 2006 began studying mid-engine performance improvements and rearranged proportions. GM's design department sculpted a full-size clay model and more than a dozen alternative scale models. Eventually, Juechter sold GM vice chairman Bob Lutz and chairman Rick Wagoner on the idea. Unfortunately, this plan died in the teeth of the Great Recession and GM's 2009 bankruptcy. All Corvette development funding came to a halt. Even though the C7 was resuscitated with a low-risk front engine, the tenacious Juechter never abandoned his mid-engine hopes. Engineering work begun in 2006 should finally bear fruit as the 2017 Corvette ZR1.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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