Mid-engine Corvette spied in detail for first time

After an initial batch of blurry spy photos, we are finally getting a good look at the highly anticipated mid-engine Chevrolet C8 Corvette, codenamed the Emperor. Despite this one wearing vinyl cladding and swirling camouflage, these shots from General Motors' proving grounds reveal some of the secrets about the supercar's design.

This 'Vette takes on the classic mid-engine supercar proportions of combining a short nose and a longer rear section for carrying the engine. These shots don't let us see the headlights because of the cladding, but a raised section near the windshield hints at a large heat extractor in the hood. The obfuscation at the rear keeps the specific design cues a well-hidden secret, but you can see there are some seriously wide fenders back there. Rumors suggest that the rear portion of the roof actually has flying buttresses. A clear panel between them would show off the mid-mounted V8.

The spies also took several long-distance photos of the Corvette's rear. These shots provide a better view of how the roof rails slant inward towards center of the body. This touch accentuates the wide fenders, too. The 'Vette's classic quad taillights are also back there. From these images, it looks like the top half of the outer ones function as turn signals. We think the camouflaged section below the rear bumper is a large diffuser. The blurry photos hide the details, but Chevy’s engineers could put some of the C8’s rumored active aerodynamic parts around there.

Rumors indicate that Chevy wants the C8 to debut at the 2018 North American International Auto Show, the company would begin selling it later for 2019 model year vehicle. A pushrod V8 would reportedly power the rear wheels. In a world where many supercars are using hybrid assistance, wealthy purists might like the idea of a model that still does things the old-fashioned way.