autoevolution 16 Dec 2020, 17:04 UTC ·
by 9 photos
Ryan Jaycox has recently serviced his mid-engine sports car, and up on the lift, he spotted Zora “stamped on the bottom” of his Corvette. Located towards the center of the underside, the legendary engineer’s figure serves as a reminder that GM refused to take a risky decision in the 1970s.
The first advocate of the midship Corvette dreamed of this layout since the first Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle rolled out in 1960 with a 283-cu in V8 rated at 350 horsepower. The subsequent rotary-engined Aerovette concepts predated the fourth-gen Corvette, which should have featured a midship layout if the 1973 Oil Crisis didn’t put that plan to rest.