Everyone has been sharing videos of what they believe is the new mid-engine C8 Corvette as it drives around town, trying to be inconspicuous. Well, that’s not exactly what happened in South Fort Myers, Florida lately when an eagle-eyed enthusiast saw what appeared to be a completely covered C8 at a nearby gas pump.
Walter Esquivel posted photos on a group Facebook page for Sloppy Mechanics that were then picked up in a thread on the Corvette Forum of the mid-engine C8 completely covered. A few minutes later, some closer photos were taken that show several engineers around the car with the hood up. In a time when mid-engine fever is running rampant among the faithful, this gives the thread a shot in the arm with several new details ripe with theories and facts.
Namely, when was the first time you saw a Corvette with a rear-hinged hood that opens in the front? Answer—in these photos! Also, you can see what appears to be jumper cables coming from the front of the truck and, we can guess, heading to the C8. Now, does that mean simply that the battery was dead? We’re not sure.
If it were a dead battery, you would think that a quick charge would get the car back on the road again. But in fact, this particular car winds up on a hook, headed for someplace where those in the know can work to correct the problem without having to hang drapes all over their work area. Interestingly, the car doesn’t make the slide onto a roll-back, but instead gets a lift from the rear.
This in itself brings the discussion within the thread to whether the car is all-wheel drive or not. Obviously, if it were, a rollback would be the proper way to haul it. Other questions were raised about the actual height of the vehicle, the location of the battery (IS it in the front, or simply the jumper ports) and also the location of the gas filler door. On a vehicle of mere mortal status, these may be insignificant details, but we’re talking about the mid-engine Corvette!
All in all, there are more questions raised than answers. With Chevrolet’s recommendation to use “Top Tier” fuels in the Corvette, is it conceivable that those in charge of the mysterious mid-engine would opt for fuel from a RaceTrac? Also, unless the group was driving long distances, why wouldn’t they fuel up before going out into the wild, like perhaps where they hauled the car on the tow truck to go work on it?
Leads us to wonder if fuel was actually the reason the car stopped there in the first place. Then again, that’s why they’re driving these cars around, to find any issues before the customer sees their cars. But, then again, seeing them getting towed might not be the best plan either. But, to their credit, those huddled around the car don’t seem to happy about it either.