2009 Chevy Impala - Lot #649 on 2040-cars

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Bob Lutz builds the case for a mid-engined Corvette

Rumors of a mid-engine Corvette are like automotive industry folklore at this point. Every once in a while, news pops up that it might be happening or is under development, but nothing actually ever comes to fruition as something people can actually buy. The latest spy shots strongly suggest a mid-engine 'Vette is in the cards, yet again, possibly for 2018. Now, an op ed by former General Motors executive (and definite performance car fan) Bob Lutz in Road & Track gives the inside scoop on the history of one of these proposals and lays out how to make it happen today. According to Lutz, the company's engineers believed the C6 ZR1 was at the limit for front-engine, rear-wheel drive performance in that package, and the only solution was to move the powerplant behind the driver. Lutz even got then CEO Rick Wagoner on board. The scheme made it at least as far as clay models for mid-engine versions of the 'Vette and Cadillac XLR. Eventually, a lack of money got in the way, though, bringing the project to an end. Lutz puts a lot of faith in GM's current leaders, especially Mary Barra and Mark Reuss. He thinks the chances of a mid-engine 'Vette happening this time are better than 50 percent. The model, rumored to be named Zora, could offer over 700 horsepower in an ultra lightweight body and be priced at about $120,000 to "suck the doors off everybody." Head over to Road & Track to get some insights from this highly respected and entertaining auto industry veteran. Related Video:

Zombie cars: A dozen discontinued vehicles people still buy new

Car models come and go, but as revealed by monthly sales data, once a car is discontinued, it doesn't just disappear instantly. And in the case of some models, vanishing into obscurity can be a slow, tedious process. That's the case with the 12 cars we have here. All of them have been discontinued, but car companies keep racking up "new" sales with them. There are actually more discontinued cars that are still registering new sales than what we decided to include here. We kept this list to the oldest or otherwise most interesting vehicles still being sold as new, including a supercar. We'll run the list in alphabetical order, starting with *drumroll* ... BMW 6 Series: 55 total sales BMW quietly removed the 6 Series from the U.S. market during the 2019 model year. It had been available in three configurations, a hardtop coupe, a convertible and a sleek four-door coupe-like shape.   BMW i8: 18 total sales We've always had a soft spot for the BMW i8, despite the fact that it never quite fit into a particular category. It was sporty, but nowhere near as fast as similarly-priced competitors. It looked very high-tech and boasted a unique carbon fiber chassis design and a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but wasn't really designed for maximum efficiency or maximum performance. Still, the in-betweener was very cool to look at and drive, and 18 buyers took one home over the course of 2021.   Chevy Impala: 750 total sales The Impala represented classic American tastes at a time when American tastes were shifting away from soft-riding sedans with big interior room and trunk space and into higher-riding crossovers. A total of 750 sales were inked last year.   Chrysler 200: 15 total sales The Chrysler 200 was actually a pretty nice sedan, with good looks and decent driving dynamics let down by a lack of roominess, particularly in the back seat. Of course, as we said regarding the Chevy Impala, the number of Americans in the market for sedans is rapidly winding down, and other automakers are following Chrysler's footsteps in canceling their slow-selling four-doors. Even if Chrysler never really found its footing in the ultra-competitive midsize sedan segment, apparently dealerships have a few leftover 2017 200s floating around. And for some reason, 15 buyers decided to sign the dotted line to take one of these aging sedans home last year.

Chevy Corvette gets Valet Mode with Performance Data Recorder [w/video]

For the 2015-model-year, Chevrolet introduces Valet Mode for the Corvette, an enhancement to the Performance Data Recorder (PDR) already available and to your peace of mind. The PDR already captures 720p HD video with a windshield-mounted camera, records interior audio with a cabin microphone and gathers telemetry data using GPS, saving the data to an SD card in the glovebox. You can then watch your track-day antics with various information overlays on the center console screen.
Valet Mode will let you hit 'Replay' when your car gets pulled up front smelling vaguely of fricasseed clutch. Turned on by entering a four-digit code, it also locks the interior storage spaces and turns off the infotainment system. It can't be turned off until the code is re-entered. There's a press release below with more information as well as a video that explains how it works, with the obligatory dig at the 'Vette's biggest foe.