Will Porsche respond to next year's mid-engine corvette?

I have heard next year's corvette will be mid-engined. I wonder if Porsche respond to this market change or generally ignore it?

Ignore it.

Is that you Mega? Will Porsche respond? Deja Vu, its 2006 again!!!! (search here and you will know the deja vu) The serious answer is OF COURSE NOT. PAG does not respond to what other companies do. If that were true they would have a car cheaper than a Z06 and faster. Of course not. If you want a mid-engine Porsche supercar, see http://www.planet-9.com/automotive-off-topic/105458-fefi-coming.html . Its coming, a matter of time. Set aside maybe $300.

Nope. They won't respond.

GT4s and Spyders with 420Hp 3.8L NA engines would be a suitable response. Bring it on!

Heck all you need to do is add the TPC turbo, with a 100HP increase on my GTS I would be at 430HP with the 3.4l, no waiting required!

Great for GM. Instead of degrading the car , they will improve it. That may be my next car. Yes Porsche will respond with a 2 cylinder electric hybrid, with a name to be decided, because the Cayman will be dead by then. Cheers

Hahahahaha someone is CONFUSED. The mid-engine Corvette is a response by GM to the already existing and absolutely perfect Porsche Cayman GT4. GM wants to see Chevy get the Evo car of the year and other such accolades so it is trying to make a car as good as the GT4. You have it backwards my friend!

Well to be fair, GM is really responding to the Ferrari 488 and the Audi R8, do not think they are really worried about the GT4. Corvette is the competition to the 911 not the Cayman. And if this turns out to be true, it will eat the rear engine 911 for lunch, on the street and in competition. Cheers

The C7 Z06/07 already beats every road going Porsche except the 918 in every measurable performance metric so if Porsche hasn't responded yet I don't see them worrying about a mid engined GM product which will most certainly be well into 6 figures MSRP. Now, if they want to worry about mid engined competition they already have the McLaren 570S.......

I don't think Chevy has considered the GT4, as they've been rumored to be developing a C8 mid-engine for years. It's been a Corvette unicorn for years and years. Also reference Bob Lutz's Jan 2015 article in R&T on the mid-engine Corvette. They improved the balance & power delivery in the C7 Z06 significantly, just by moving the engine back and increasing the wheelbase. John

I did manage to worm my way into GM's Chevy research division computers this afternoon and uncovered more information about the secret mid-engine Corvette platform. I found the following option list buried in an engineering document. Options: NH001 - Rear View Mirror with Integrated Necklace Hanger - This optional mirror allows the driver to hang up to 3 different gold necklaces from flexible hooks that fold into and out of the lower portion of the mirror. Customer feedback from prior generation Corvettes is that drivers do not like to fumble through the glove box to find their necklaces or chains and all too often during sudden breaking the necklaces can fly off the driver and become lost under the seat or floor mats. These sturdy yet flexible hooks have a caribeener style clamp mechanism that will retain necklaces during even the highest g-forces or in a roll-over accident. CHG07 - The all new 7th generation rechargeable grooming device for performing desired manscaping on unruly chest hair. This device fits neatly into are recharge socket located in the center console and can be retrieved at any time for one-handed operation by the driver. The optional 2 foot extension cord allows the device to be used for the passenger as well or in emergency situations reach the driver's back to remove any unsightly overgrowth. Triple blade adjustable settings allow for smooth contouring and multiple height plateaus. The vacuum actuated receptacle at the bottom of the device catches all stray hairs preventing them from burrowing into the Alcantara seat material and chafing the driver. UV099 - Thanks to an advance in carbon fiber formulation the roof of the new Corvette can be further augmented with the ultimate in UV protection with the UV099 option. This option, when applied during the carbon fiber mating process, will effectively increase the material's UV penetration rating by over 75%. Previous generation owners have complained that their male pattern baldness was being accelerated by the amount of UV radiation penetrating the roof of their cars. This often resulted in unwanted sunburns or "red hot head" behind the wheel of prior generation Corvettes. This option can also be coupled with the new Chevy Corvette Logo aluminum infused ball cap for an additional degree of protection against unwanted UV radiation and stray cosmic rays that may be influencing the driver or passenger into having delusions of grandeur. The list goes on, but these are a few of the highlights....

Ha Ha Ha. GM is jealous of a GT4. You are kidding.

My interpretation of their plan was that they also designed the UV protection to reduce sunburn on the back of the neck, as well as on top of the bald head ;-)

Having driven my Cayman and the C7 Corvette, I can tell you there is little difference in the driving experience. And the quality of the new interiors are essentially on par material-wise. Visually they have much different personalities. It comes down to which you prefer and how open-minded you are weighing the cost/performance balance. (Full disclosure: I am a GM employee.)

The C7 Z06/07 is doing 0-60mph in 2.6 sec like the 911 Turbo S?

The mid engine corvette will have go' ol' fashin' unreliable American parts (including new engine). Smart people would wait some years before even considering buying it. Heck my 2013 build Boxster has more than enough poor quality from than being an early build...and that's Porsche doing it...never again. It takes about 3 iterations to get something right and the Cayman/Boxster is past that. Just another reason Porsche will not care for a while. I do want competitors to up their game because they have an excellent opportunity here to become king of mid engine sports cars.

<too funny!>

Next year as in 2017 model? That's crazy talk since no such car has even been shown at a car show or test driven in magazines or all the typical car refresh cycle activities that go on. I don't think they could even make it for the 2018 model, I would hazard a guess that if such a car truly exists and they intend to bring it to market it is still at least a few years away, maybe 2019 but I wouldn't think until 2020 or beyond...

Agree with the 2019 figure. Cheers

the bogie out there is the Ford GT -- built in a back room as a halo car. I've always thought that the "Daytona Prototype Corvette" was a great looking car and I could think that it could be "detuned" a bit so it "could" be called a legal road car then you have your GTLM challenger -- built in the back room in enough numbers to challenge the Ford -- and sufficiently different from the normal road going Corvette. It would not be all that comfortable as a road car for sure -- much like the Ford GT is not a very practical road car (where's the trunk ??). W/R to Porsche -- sure seems that the 960 or FeFi is much the same thing.. D

I have spent the last several weeks researching the Z06, after taking a pass on the 2nd GT4 offered to me by my dealership. I still want a GT4 with a DCT, and I still don't know why Porsche won't offer it. Happy for you guys who want a GT3 with a manual- but why aren't a stick and PDK offered? Or a 911R- but why not offer either transmission? Anyway, for you guys who want to track your sports car- don't even bother with a Z06. The forums are rife with reports of overheating. This apparently happens with a Z06 w/ a stick or an auto, and apparently happens with the Z51 as well. Yet to be determined is whether the forthcoming Grand Sport has cooling fixes in place, but don't hold your breath. :hilarious: So, I'm still a mid-engine guy, but I'm drawn to a GT3. But, I don't want CL wheels. For the cost of a new GT3, maybe I should look at a Cayman GT4 ClubSport. If anyone has wheel-to-wheel comparisons of GT3 or Z06 to the GT4 ClubSport, feel free to contribute, or PM me. Now, back to the thread...

Maybe I missed it, but WHY do you want a DCT in a GT4?

Faster shifting, but really... no risk of money shift on-track. A buddy of mine, with years of experience as a DE instructor, mis-shifted coming into 10A at Rd ATL. I figured, if he can do it, I might do it. I was just deciding what transmission to order on the Cayman R at the time. I went with PDK, and learned to L foot brake. I'm sold on the technology, both on the street and the track. There are places in western NC where I can't be in the correct gear fast enough with a clutch pedal (see: Tail of the Dragon, et al.). Just my :2cents: John

Tail of the dragon should be all done in 1st gear. Limit is 35 MPH and road so twisty you'd be hard pressed to go faster than 45 on turns (well you can't actually).

Corvette will never compete with a Porsche. Porsche has a way better performing options list. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

In my opinion, Corvette is always competing with Porsche, and if you consider car racing a manufacturer competition, GM has been winning a lot as of late. And now there is Ford, look at GT Le Mans. Cheers

I think the mid engine corvette will be in the price range of other mid engines - Ford GT, Ferrari, Mclaren 540C, etc. The Porsche car that is most likely to compete is 960 - but as it is both cars are rumours so even if confirmed 2018 would seem the earliest.

You could be right, but personally, I think they are going to try to undercut the 911, it is doable. I think 2019 or later is my guess. Cheers

I think Mega wrote the OP. Who says "will Porsche respond" anymore? They never respond to anything... That's what you can do when you are Porsche.

Especially when as you pointed out earlier that Porsche is becoming a luxury, high performance SUV company.