40 shots were taken of the prototype while it was cruising along the streets.
We’ve seen a lot of cool renderings over the last few months, and we have had a few glimpses of the mid engined Corvette out on the streets. But today, our spy photographer was at the right spot at the right moment. The location was in southeast Michigan, not far from GM’s Milford Proving Grounds. And the camera continued to take upwards of 40 photos.
These photos provide interesting details that we haven’t seen before. The front and rear lights can be seen through the covers. We can see the outline of the design at the front, where we see an apparently multi-matrix LED system with a white accent strip at its top. This doubles as an orange turn sign. The back of the LED units looks very similar to the current Corvette model.
These photos show the C8’s batwing spoiler. It looks more aggressive than what we’ve seen on previous prototypes – could this wing feature some of the active aero components recently uncovered in a patent app by the folks over at MidEngineCorvetteForum.com? We’ve seen C8 test cars with very thin spoilers. This could be Chevrolet trying out new designs or different trim levels being tested on public roads. It’s possible that it is the former.
The Corvette’s camo-wrapped exterior hides quite a lot. This car’s lower rear fascia looks a little rough around the edges. We would expect a production-spec component to include a diffuser. The front fascia is shaped like the ones we have seen in previous test cars. However, we are suspicious of any minor changes to the middle. Although the body lines are clear, the bump at the driver’s eye is a bump on the roof. It’s probably some sort of testing device.
The most important question is: When will the camo wrap and covers finally come off? There are new grumblings suggesting that it might not happen before the end of this year or early next year. This is in contrast to other rumors that the car will debut at the New York Auto Show within a few months. We believe this was Chevrolet’s original intent. With the reported electrical problems, there are good reasons to doubt a New York debut, but an independent event in the spring or the summer is still possible.