AEROVETTE :
General Motors in 1968' introduced the Aerovette and shocks the world
Corvettes of the future . 'Aerovette ' Welcome to fantasy land , what if General Motors decided to put and up dated version of the fabulous Aerovette into production? In this story are some of the best photographs of this unbelievable future Corvette. A remarkable mid-engine super car for the future. it seems like Corvette fans over the world have waited and wanted a true mid-engine Corvette, since first talked about in the mid-70s. Believe it or not here in 2013' we are still talking about a mid-engined Corvette. Every few years there's a new rumor that General Motors is about to unveil a mid-engine Corvette. Again ,just a year and a half ago General Motors let slip a rumor that the new C –7 chassis could be a dream come true.
With a fiberglass body, gullwing doors, and fixed side windows, the Aerovette really wouldn't have been any more expensive to build than the stingray. That would have meant a 1980 price tag in the $15,000-$18,000 range, but with the departure of Duntov, former division head Edward N. Cole, and chief stylist Mitchell, it never had a chance of reaching production, this car would have been an instant classic the day it was released, but the mid-engine Aerovette wasn't to be. Like the stingray,it would almost certainly have been a 10 year plus model, one that would have lasted up to 1990 in high style. It's a shame it never materialized. Even so, many of the design principles definitely figure in the 1983 Corvette. And in that sense , Aerovette really was the Corvette of the future.
Experimental Corvette " What if " are the words that have always started Corvette fans dreaming. What if General Motors had produced the Aerovette?
foreword cylinder bank. It ran from the crankshaft to a stock Corvette differential with a short drive shaftthat turned a 90° corner, lined up with the transmission, and then passed through the engine sump encased in a tube. Two, XP – 882 chassis were built for Chevrolets new general manager, John Z. DeLorean, canceled the project. A year later, after Ford had introduced the mid-engine Detomaso Pantera, DeLorean halted out the XP – 882. Before long it was being used under Duntov's guidance as a test bed for development of GM's then – experimental Wankel rotary engine. Two chassis were fitted with a rotary.the first car had a two – rotor unit, the second a pair of two- rotary engines combined as a single block, or a four rotor, 420 – BHP engine. Body design was a real headache as a result of the internal dispute, GM stylists Vinnie Kay and Jerry Palmer were ultimately tapped to draw the lines of the four rotor car, though the basic shape was conceived by chief designer William L. Mitchell . Both cars were first shown in 1973. After the Arab oil embargo hit and the energy crisis was on , the rotary's reputation for excessive fuel consumption forced GM to shelve the XP – 882 again. In 1977, however, four-roto car was taking off the shelf. It's Wankel engine was replaced by a 400 – CID small block V-8. But retained Duntov's driveshaft in sump arrangement. The car was renamed ' Aerovette ' and toured the auto show circuit for a time. Actual production, however, remained only a remote possibility.
Aerovette , one of the most stunning Corvettes ever built hit the show car circuit at the 'New York 'auto show in April 1968. I guess if you think about it ,this car was engineered so long ago and is so amazing , that today this car could be with the best of designs of Italian or German engineered cars and could be amongst the best today.when General Motors first displayed this car they gave it an internal code name XP – 880, and wearing Astro II nameplates. It was really just a styling exercise constructed under the supervision of Frank Winchell. At the time, many corporate insiders viewed it as public – reaction trial balloon for the forthcoming mid-engine Corvette. It's drivetrain was a hodgepodge, though it might have been suited for actual production as it was composed of an Oldsmobile Toronado transaxle and off the shelf parts, but it was the styling that excited the enthusiasts. Soon, XP – 880 was appearing in full color, on car – buff magazine covers all over the country, billed as next Corvette. Meanwhile, crafty Zora Arkus-Duntov was at work on XP – 882. This car was definitely engineered with production in mind, since he had created – and patented – a mid-engine chassis layout that allowed the use of stock Corvette and Toronado parts. Mounted just behind the passenger compartment was a big V-8 turned 90° for a transverse location. The transmission was sited under the
Bill Mitchell is nothing if not persistent,he started lobbying at Chevrolet division for the Aerovette to become the next Corvette. As usual, Mitchell wanted something badly enough, he got, and GM chairman Thomas Murphy actually approved the idea for the 1980 program, ironically, that came about at least partly because of a possible threat from another, soon to be announced sports car – the rear engined DMC, and independent effort headed by none other than John Z. DeLorean. By the end of 1977,Aerovette clays were complete, and tooling was scheduled to begin. So for a moment, at least, GM honestly intended to build the car. The production version would've had the same awesome styling and a steel platform frame like that of the XP – 882, complete with Duntov's clever transverse V-8. The production Corvette engine was a 350 by then, so that's probably the one that would have been used, though it could have been the 305 unit that while up in California – bound 1980 versions of the existing stingray. There would have been a choice of four-speed manual or turbo high dramatic transmission . The suspension would have been pulled right off the stingray.
The Aerovette would have been a natural for racing. A smooth organic shape could easily be trimmed for the track by devices like a full perimeter skirt and roof mounted stabilizing wing. Ground effect skirt and dihedral shapes are dramatically a way to achieve a racing supercar.
I have compiled a slideshow of 14 different photographs of the amazing 1968' Corvette 'Aerovette ' . The car that the world almost had. A true mid-engine Corvette.
