Watch The Mid-Engined Corvette Racer Light Up The Night Sky
I’d argue that there’s no better sound in the FIA World Endurance Championship than the noise belted out of the tailpipes of the GTE Pro Chevrolet Corvette. It’s a wondrous, dirty noise which unfortunately won’t quite be replicated by its successor.
The racing version of the incoming mid-engined Corvette - expected to be dubbed ‘C8.R’ - has been spotted undergoing night testing at Sebring, and as you might be able to tell, it’s using a flat-plane V8 rather than cross-plane. It’s an angry noise, sure, but one that’s arguably not so characterful. Or filthy.
Still, it’s cool to see the exhausts flaming at night. And in any case, if you’re feeling sad, we have an appropriate antidote in the form of some C7.R footage below.
Top video via Jalopnik
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Yes
Cant deny myself the enjoyment of seeing flames out the exhausts!
I hope this is the new DOHC Corvette
You could just get the DOHC kit from Mercury (yes, the boat company) and make your LS DOHC by doing that rather than waiting.
I can’t help but fear when the road car comes out, it’ll have lost that simplicity that a lot of other cars don’t have and never will have again.
Agreed
That sounds suspiciously like the Ford GTLM’s V6
I swear to god if they made it a V6 only I will lose my sh!t
A flat plane V8 sounds like a V6? Umm, not sure I follow.
All Chevy is doing is modernizing the Corvette to actually make it naturally quick and good to drive… Not putting its arch enemy’s engine in it
Corvair?
Sure doesnt sound like a corvette engine
Neither does the Mustang GT350… not sure I like flat plane cranks in US cars.. no denying how AWESOME that new Voodoo engine is, so I am kinda excited to see Chevy’s answer to it
Neither did the I6 the corvette originally came with
An astonishing nothing can be gathered from this video except that there’s a new car coming. We don’t have lap times, driver name, driver lineup… Nothing of actual practical use in terms of analyzing who will be the faster car.
Clever from GM not to show their hand for the season but still get testing done on the car, but testing in the dark and with no lap time known, it means that we are left in the dark about its performance and whether it’s improved or not
At least we can hear it and see the lights?
Sounds like a V6 or a lower displacement V8, like a Ferrari V8 or something else that’s European. Also, the audio desync to the video was awful. Made it hard to watch.
oohh boy, do I miss the C7.R sound