Lawrence Lugar wrote:
> a mid-engine vette won't decrease weight, nor increase 0-60 time
> it says so in the article....if anything, it'll just add cost for the sake
> of being 'exotic'
>
> i think it was the latest isssue of Road and Track. (forgot which magazine
> specifically, i subscribe to many)
>
> pure race, track cars should be rear-wheel drive.
>
>
All is not race/track in this market. Strap on a 914-6 or Lotus and
give a 'middie' a try in a wide variety of driving situations. (If yhou
have more money than I -- a lot more -- go Italian) Putting your fanny
near the CG with very low polar moment yields a lot of pure joy in road
sport. Don't judge by something like the MR2 or Fiero or some race cars
where the engine's center of mass is quite high.

>
>
>
>
> "ACAR" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>> On Oct 25, 5:53 pm, "name" > wrote:
>>>
>>> i've read about the mid-engine vette in a magazine...i've seriously
>>> considered the pros/cons...and i say, corvette should stick with it's
>>> front-engine design placement
>> If mid-engined is the way Corvette has to go in order to shed weight -
>> then so be it.
>> Ever increasing HP is gonna send insurance rates even higher. Corvette
>> has to find another way to boost performance.
>> A mid-engined platform should also allow for an AWD option. I'd
>> certainly go for that!
>>
>> Traditionalists will have the new Camaro by the time the C7 comes out.
>>
>
>

While fun to drive, mid-engine layouts (I speak to less expensive
criters that I've owned: MR2, Lotus, Porsche, & Fiero) have poor use of
interior volume. Storage, for a weekend trip is laughable. Any
production Corvette has to carry golf clubs... period.

Middies are a nightmare when it comes to maintenance accessibility --
the flat rate manual hours, for what we think of as simple tasks, are
sky high. Plumbing for cooling and a/c add weight and cost. Engine
layout, to keep vertical center of mass low, is a challenge.

The horsepower vs. insurance rate scare argument has been around since
the first Chrysler 300 -- circa 1950s -- and it doesn't prove out.

My Corvette insurance rates have dropped even though HP has increased.
Drunks, immature drivers and racing exposure all raise prices. My '02
costs less than does my '89 for all elements of the policy including
comprehensive. The liability and med coverages are much lower on the
'02 -- the car is safer! This year's bill is less than what I paid in
2005. (the result of placing less importance on ZIP code and more on a
driver's track record.)

--
pj