Bob Lutz Talks Mid-Engine Today

[John]

Thanks to AutoLine, we have Bob’s Lutz’s comments on the Corvette ME. Starts at 7:50 on the video.

[Shadow]

Bob Lutz is always to the point. And ****, does he look great at 87 years old, yet still thinks as if is many, many decades younger. Was more than a little disappointing for him to talk about the first year Corvette having about a 430 HP LT1. He quickly admitted however, he had no inside info. I hope he is far off in his estimate!

It has got to have even a little more than the LT1 in the C7!

[Boomer]

What a guy! On CNBC routinely.

Obviously loves the Vette. I think he said 420 or 430 with a LS3. Says a coupla seconds later "pure speculation" on his part. He says a coupla times "No knowledge whatsoever" indicating he's not in the loop as he shouldn't be.

His knowledge of the technical details of the various GM models developed when he was there says how much he was hands on.

He was frank and great as always!

[JB]

Was Lutzs mention of the ls3 on purpose or do you think he forgot the c7 uses a lt1 v8?

was he trying to remain coy that he was not speaking of the upcoming c8?

did anyone @s in the current car?

if true there are going to be a lot of happy new corvette buyers.

i happen to agree with Bob on pricing upgrade.

[JB]

Btw he hates musk and not a fan of tesla..lol

[Boomer]

Btw he hates musk and not a fan of tesla..lol

I bet thats an interpretation you made based on Lutz comments two days ago on CNBC. He was factual and not guided by the man. No hate involved.

[Fasttoys]

Bob Lutz is the guy, I think the ME will be similar in power to C7 HP at a minimum, Now we can all say the FE is toast get them while you can.

[John]

Absolutely at least 460 HP; GM would not bring out the next generation Corvette with less power than the last one. My minimum guess is 465; my “probably” guess is 475.

Of course, even it is “only” has 465, with its DCT, and its motor/trans/diff weight centered over the the rear drive wheels, I am thinking its performance would be at least equivalent to 550 HP.

[RedDropTop]

Thank you, John, for sharing this video. I have such great admiration and respect for Bob Lutz.

I loved what I heard him say about the ME C8. Though I think he forgot the current HP of the base C7.

He gave great insight into the current auto industry, as well as it's future, which is not exciting.

He gave great insight into Tesla, which will be sobering for the Tesla fans and investors.

[fvs]

I also think they HAVE to offer over 430hp. Does anyone know what the lowest HP midengine sportscar/supercar out there is? The number has got to be respectable. At 420-430- the reviewers will have a hayday picking on the anemic horses GM put in the thing!

Min 460hp... 470-475 sounds better...

BTW...He said "he" believes no more than $5k on top of current C7 trims...

I feel the BASE C8-ME should start where the C7 GS leaves off trim and power wise.

[Frenzy36]

Pretty obvious Lutz was not sharing any info about the ME. Lets face it he has been out of the loop for almost 9 years. As far as horsepower goes the Me with a redesigned trans and LT1 engine should be plenty of ponies for the hopefully lighter chassis. I'm not too focused on the HP numbers here. If you rethink the tires coming off the ground in previous posts and how stable the ME looks on the track already, I'm pretty sure it will be a fantastic car. More horsepower will always be on the next models.

[John]

A 911 GTS starts at $120,700, has 450 HP, yet 405 TQ. If GM can put this car out with 475 HP, at a really decent price, going to be more than a few brand conquests.

[Frenzy36]

I also think they HAVE to offer over 430hp. Does anyone know what the lowest HP midengine sportscar/supercar out there is? The number has got to be respectable. At 420-430- the reviewers will have a hayday picking on the anemic horses GM put in the thing!

Min 460hp... 470-475 sounds better...

BTW...He said "he" believes no more than $5k on top of current C7 trims...

I feel the BASE C8-ME should start where the C7 GS leaves off trim and power wise.

I had a 2002 Lotus Esprit with only 350 HP and it was plenty 16 years ago 0-60 in 4.4 seconds hopefully the upgrades in the modern transmissions will help this car along nicely.

[John]

Our MECF poll put its time 0-60 at 3.4 seconds. That is pretty fast.

[Frenzy36]

Possible it could make the 3.4 sec mark but I'm thinking from their perspective they are already providing a way better handling, looking more advanced tech car and they will want to leave them wanting more which will come in time and also increase the price. I'm sure if a higher HP powerplant is offered still most will not come out of pocket for the extra 20K. Reading most peoples posts they are just excited to be able to purchase the base offering for around 65-75K.