Would the 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 Look Better as a Front-Engined Car?
Thanks to the power of Photoshop, we can see what a back-to-basics C7 successor would look like.
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is a significant turning point in the model's history, for the first time moving the engine from the front to the middle of the car and providing a number of performance benefits in the process. It has one fatal flaw though—its proportions are...a bit off. From the front, the car is reminiscent of a true supercar-killer, but move around to the side and it starts to look stubby as the rear end suddenly drops off. But what would it look like if Chevy kept the front-engined design?
Automotive re-design YouTuber TheSketchMonkey clearly had enough of the C8's funky proportions and decided to fix it himself. According to him, the newest Corvette's final design looks like a mashup of a few different designs Chevy had planned, so his goal was not only to move the cockpit back but to simplify the car's side profile.
The resulting edit makes the C8 a literal return to form of the Corvette's signature shape, making it look like more of an evolution of the C7 than a brand new car. TheSketchMonkey kept the 2020 model's front end but cleaned up the paint splash of intakes and aero components on the side. He also exchanged the C8's inward-sloping spoiler for a more conventional one, giving the redesigned rear flank a hint of A90 Supra. He details his thought and design process in the video below.
Looks are only a portion of a car's overall appeal though and the benefits of the mid-engined format far outweigh the C8's subjectively unattractive aesthetic. Moving the new 6.2-liter LT2 V8, which develops about 490 horsepower in its tamest form, behind the seats makes the chassis' job of handling the power a lot easier, especially in the upcoming Z06 trim. This is because the weight distribution in mid-engined cars is superior as it centers the power plant's mass, aiding acceleration, braking, and handling.
The front-engined Corvette is most likely never returning to the market, but at least we can dream back its existence thanks to the power of Photoshop.
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