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General Motors President Mark Reuss drives the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray onto the stage during its unveiling in Tustin, Calif., on July 18, 2019.J. Emilio Flores/Handout

Rumours have finally become reality. After seven generations and almost seven decades, the next iteration of the Chevrolet Corvette will have its engine positioned behind the driver.

To some devotees, the mid-engine layout is a radical and polarizing departure for America’s iconic sports car, which has always had a front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels.

But GM chief Mark Reuss says the mid engine “has always been part of Corvette’s destiny.” It was what engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, the father of the Corvette, always wanted. A series of mid-engine Corvette research vehicles produced since the early 60s have hinted at Chevrolet’s intentions (and fuelled the rumours).

The timing is right: The current front-engine C7 had "pushed the limits of what we could do in that configuration,” says Reuss.

Unlike many supercars, the reconfiguration does not extend to all wheel drive – only the rear wheels are driven on the new Stingray. With more of the car’s weight on those wheels, however, the new car has more traction to put power to pavement. As engine outputs have soared, traction limitations were one of the key reasons the front-engine/rear-drive had run its course.

Chief engineer Tadge Juechter cites other mid-engine benefits. It positions the occupants right on top of the car’s centre of gravity so you feel at one with the car, and it enables a shorter, stiffer steering column for enhanced precision and responsiveness. That’s in addition to the traditionally-cited virtue of concentrating the main masses near the centre of the car, which lowers the moment of inertia (remember the dumbbell analogy from high school physics?) and lets the car change direction more quickly.

The powertrain itself will both please and offend traditionalists. On the plus side, the engine is still a naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 delivering the massive, right-now low-end punch that’s lacking in rivals’ downsized turbo engines. More controversially, the three-pedal manual gearbox is history; an automatically-shifted eight-speed dual clutch supplied by Tremec is the only transmission.

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The Corvette's engine is still a naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8, but strategically placed between the cockpit and the rear axle.Handout

Even devotees of do-it-yourself shifting may be mollified, however, when they experience the car’s acceleration: GM confidently predicts a stunning 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in under 3 seconds. Now dubbed LT2, the revised small-block V8 generates 495 horsepower (with the performance exhaust) and a peak torque of 470 lb-ft, gains of 35 hp and 5 lb-ft respectively. Revised intake and exhaust plumbing accounts for most of the gains.

The engine location between the cockpit and the rear axle is the focal point of the new body design, pushing the cockpit 42 cm forward and creating the proportions of “a jet fighter for the road” while maintaining Corvette styling cues in much of the detailing. The body comprises fibreglass exterior panels – including the trademark removeable roof panel – on a highly intricate inner structure of cast aluminum. Many other exotic lightweight materials are also used, including magnesium and carbon fibre.

Gone, however, are Corvette’s traditional composite transverse-leaf suspension springs, now replaced by race-car-like coil-over dampers. An optional front-lift system can raise the front by 40 mm to clear low curbs and speed bumps. It can even be programmed to work automatically at up to 1,000 locations stored by the driver in the GPS.

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The car's ramped-up interiors include a two-spoke steering wheel, hand-wrapped cut-and-sew leather and authentic accents in aluminum or carbon fibre.Handout

Michelin Pilot Sport tires are standard -- all-seasons on the base car, or summer rubber with the Z51 package -- in both cases on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels. The Z51 package also includes aero upgrades, manually height-adjustable performance suspension, larger brakes and an electronic limited-slip differential. Variable damping by GM’s superb Magnetic Ride Control system is also available.

Inside, an overtly driver-centric cockpit layout provides more space than on the current car. Amenities include a squared-off two-spoke steering wheel, 12-inch customizable digital gauge cluster, hand-wrapped cut-and-sew leather and authentic accents in aluminum or carbon fibre. Interior options include three different seat designs and six colour schemes.

Although it’s a strict two-seater, practicality hasn’t taken a back seat. Low rockers facilitate entry and egress. There are two luggage compartments, one at each end, with combined volumes of 12.6 cubic feet. The rear one can even swallow a pair of small golf bags.

Despite its exotic supercar layout and performance, the Corvette will maintain its standing as an attainable dream car. When it goes on sale in Canada at the end of the year, pricing will start at just under $70,000. Of course, buyers will be free to spend a lot more, whether on options like the Z51 package, or on future additions to the range, which will include a full convertible.

Bring it all on!

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