Is GM’s Bowling Green Plant Retooling for a New Chevrolet Corvette?

Something’s fishy in Kentucky. According to Bowling Green Daily News, the Chevrolet Corvette production facility is suspending tours for a year and a half. GM says the reason for this closure is so the longstanding plant can undergo “extensive work.” In other words, let the conspiracy theories flow free – this could signal that a drastically new Corvette model is on the horizon.

As to what this new model might entail, that remains pure speculation. We’ve already seen a camouflaged test mule blasting around the Nürburgring and Laguna Seca, both times wearing some aero features that are far removed from anything currently rolling out of Kentucky.

There’s also the matter of rumors surrounding an all-new engine for the Corvette. In the Nürburgring and Laguna Seca videos, the ZR1 test mule emitted an exhaust note unlike any other ‘Vette we’ve heard in the past. Thanks to an internal document leaked from GM, we know a 6.2-liter DOHC V-8 is on its way, but we’ve yet to receive confirmation as to which model it will debut in. The engine will arrive by model year 2018, according to the document, so this tour shutdown could give GM the time it needs to retool the powertrain area in secret.

 

Beyond that, the sizable duration of the public blackout might indicate something more clandestine is in the works. At this point, the mid-engine Corvette is all but confirmed, so there’s a chance this extended closure marks the plant’s shift toward the new layout. A year and a half sounds about right for how long it would take to refit a plant to build an entirely new car with its engine in a different place.

Following a handful of removed tour dates in May, the plant shuts its doors to the public on June 16, reopening 18 months later. What do you think Chevy is up to in Bowling Green? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Bowling Green Daily News

The post Is GM’s Bowling Green Plant Retooling for a New Chevrolet Corvette? appeared first on Motor Trend.

from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2qrzMJo