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lllustrated Corvette Series No.
40 - 1970 XP-882 Corvette Show Car
"Experimental Corvette - Bad Timing
It
was a great day for Corvette fans. When the crowds piled into the New
York Auto Show on April 2, 1970, they had no idea what Chevrolet was
proposing as the next Corvette. The XP-882 Mid-Engine Experimental
Corvette had almost everything a Vette lover would want... big-block
power, huge wheels and tires, exotic suspension, drop-dead looks, and
the engine located in the middle of the car, exactly where an exotic
car engine should be.
But we all know how the story ended; they didn't come close to making
the car. Forward thinking just couldn't overcome bad timing. Duntov's
design team started working out the mechanical challenges for the
XP-882 in 1968. Styling penned up a new look that screamed "Corvette!"
It was crisp, edgy, modern, yet it "looked" like a Corvette.
New Chevy General Manager John Z. DeLorean stopped work on the XP-882
to pursue making Corvettes based on the new, inexpensive Camaro
chassis. DeLorean met with fierce resistance from styling, engineering,
and sales to NOT take the car in that direction. So the project was
stopped in 1969 and was warehoused until 1970. When Ford announced a
similar mid-engine project with DeTomaso, DeLorean resurrected the
XP-882 and had it finished for the show car circuit. Because there were
no press releases, everyone was stunned. The car magazines were all
over it, initiating a feeding frenzy of speculation.
Mid-engine cars were very exotic in the '60s. Not only was the engine
midship located, but it was transverse mounted. By using the
front-wheel drive, automatic transmission from an Olds Toronado, Duntov
was able to quickly get a working prototype. Suspension and brakes were
obviously independent and disc. Wheels were spun-aluminum, with vent
slots, and tires were E60x15 on the front and G60x15 on the rear. The
interior of the car was basic prototype fashion, no frills and no real
design at that point. The XP-882 was never officially tested for speed
and performance.
Many other Corvette show cars have been more thought out than the
XP-882, but the car was rushed into service and not fully developed
like show cars of the '60s. But the timing couldn't have been worse for
an all-new Corvette. The new platform was going to be expensive to
make, requiring new transmission, suspension, body, and interior parts.
Actual production wouldn't have started until '72 or '73, just in time
for the first Arab oil embargo. Also in the brew was a GM internal push
to develop a Wankel-engined prototype, so the second XP-882 chassis was
made into the 1973 4-Rotor Aerovette.
All things considered, the XP-882 didn't have a chance, but it sure was
exciting.
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