Fernando Alonso and the Mid-Engine Corvette

[NewYuriCity]

Two-time Formula 1 World Driver’s Champion Fernando Alonso today announced he would be driving a Chevrolet powered car for the Indy 500 next year, instead of the Honda power he raced with (and competed well with) last year. This information, along with the fact that Fernando will also be racing with Wayne Taylor Racing in the no. 10 Cadillac at the 24 Hours of Daytona (who also has connections with GM outside of the normal Cadillac relationship, as Jordan Taylor has raced with Corvette Racing on a few occasions) leads me to believe the C8 will absolutely be revealed prior to the Indy 500 in May 2019.

Whether this means a reveal in Detroit in January or NY in April I have no idea, but seeing as the brand new C7 was the pace car for the Indy 500 in 2013 I’d have a hard time believing GM would pass on the opportunity to have Fernando Alonso standing alongside the new Corvette and perhaps even taking the car for a drive at Indy. Especially if GM is looking to market the new C8 as a global supercar, there is really no better brand ambassador than Alonso, and I couldn’t imagine a better ad for the Corvette than the potential Motorsport triple crown winner peeling off into the sunset in a brand new C8 Corvette!

The next year is gonna be a wild ride guys, and I think the future is bright for GM sports cars!

[John]

Great synthesis NewYuri City! Thank you very much, and your idea that perhaps the ME would be the Indy 500 pace car would be ingeniuous! With 200,000 present at each Indy, and how 5,000,000 millions watching the race on TV within the U.S. alone, what terrific and widespread, even world wide exposure, for the newly revealing ME would be.

And to pull this off, that would mean the ME must be reveal no later than 173 days from now. We sure hope it is much, much sooner than that.

BTW, here is a related thread with a little more info about Alonso’s racing at Indy next year.

https://www.midenginecorvetteforum.c...ng-alonso-indy

Thanks again NYC!

[TOMDOM69]

hopefully it is a c8 he will be driving. I'm no expert but i'm pretty sure there are rules that a production car has to be out within a certain time of a race version of said car being ran. if that made sence lol

[John]

As a wise person said to me, we can not have a delay, as no timetable has even been mentioned by GM. Lots of different ideas are being tossed out by many lately including it’s pricing to start at $169,000. Similarly, we are hearing multiple and very different reveal dates — one later than the other. Lastly, we, now also hearing varying information about there could be development issues — of course not currently substantiated.

The common tie is that we are experiencing in all three, similar doom and gloom thoughts expressed by just a few . Let us take a deep breathe and seek corroboration from many different sources of some of these more extreme ideas before we embrace them as accurate.

Let’s not create needless angst before we are sure there are some factual issues that we do need to consider, and if they arrive, let’s consider them then. Instead let’s please concentrate on the major positive that the mid engine Corvette is coming — something some of us have been waiting for for over 50 years.

[Sigmon]

Well said John, thanks.

[Foosh]

Exactly right, John! By definition, there is no delay because no plans have been announced.

[John]

Other than those famous few words by Mark Reuss acknowledging that there is a C8 coming, we have heard nothing officially from anyone with GM that there there is ever going to be a next generation Corvette.

What are those few words by Mark Reuss, “We are very proud of the C8!”

[bobbytinvab]

No angst here ... let's just get this thing out there Darn it !!!

[Tom_E]

Well I'll throw out something on the reveal.. I was having a discussion with a member of a previous Corvette launch event and was pimping for a hint on the reveal site. When I suggested New York or Chicago, they responded with "you know it doesn't have to be an Auto Show" we did the Camaro at Belle Island........ Could it be the Bash? Their lips were sealed, but a little smile was on their face...... so who knows.... A discussion then was had about the press will show up wherever it is held given the significance of this car, so site doesn't really matter. They shared no direct quotes or "secrets" but I liked the nods and innuendos that I got to various conversation items.

[Foosh]

Thanks Tom, and all true, but the very large, internationally-focused shows like NYC tend to draw everyone who's anyone in the international automotive press. In a case like this, more is better. This reveal will be mega story because it is such a dramatic design departure for one of the most iconic cars in history, and GM will want a max splash. Coy deflection is a polite tactic I've used frequently in my career for those probing me for confidential information.

[dcbingaman]

I predict that the C8 will be introduced to the Auto Elite in NYC AND to the faithful at the BASH in Bowling Green in April of 2019 !

[John]

Thanks Binger. Glad I fit into one of those categories for I will be at the BASH for a certainty.

[91ZR1]

My guess... NY followed by the BASH, both static displays, then a running car at the Indy 500 in May. ???

[John]

My guess... NY followed by the BASH, both static displays, then a running car at the Indy 500 in May. ???

My guess... NY followed by the BASH, both static displays, then a running car at the Indy 500 in May. ???

91ZR1, I liked your post so much, I felt it was worth repeating in bold.

[ABorC]

hopefully it is a c8 he will be driving. I'm no expert but i'm pretty sure there are rules that a production car has to be out within a certain time of a race version of said car being ran. if that made sence lol

i'm not sure what you mean. He'll be driving a Dallara chassis and Chevy engined Indy 500 car in the race. And the Cadillac he'll be driving at the 24 hours of Daytona will be a DPi car.