C8 Corvette Revives Duntov 4-Rotor Legacy

Car and Driver Names ’73 Prototype as One of Ten Inspirations for Mid-Engine C8 Corvette

Since all those spy shots keep poppin’ up, it’s probably safe to say the C8 mid-engine Corvette has pretty much been confirmed. So we think it’s time to start reveling over all the other things tied to the next-gen ‘Vette.

Take, for example, a recent story posted by Car & Driver. They put together a great piece highlighting ten cars that could have inspired the mid-engine Corvette. The list includes everything from the 1960 Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle, aka the CERV, to a 2006-2008 Engineering Proposal for a mid-engine Corvette.

We certainly don’t want to spoil all the great info packed into the story. But we have zeroed in on one of our favorite cars from the list: a prototype known as the 1973 4-Rotor.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About Duntov’s 4-Rotor

Inspired by the legendary GM designer Zora Arkus-Duntov’s desire to always raise the bar, the 1973 4-Rotor was actually the brainchild of GM engineers Bill Mitchell and Jerry Palmer. The goal was to revive the appeal of a Corvette concept known as the XP-882.

Mitchell and Palmer went to work with their team of assistants, sprucing up the design of the concept with pointy ends, folding gullwing doors, and a creased windshield set back 72 degrees from a vertical angle.

Duntov held the 1973 4-Rotor in such esteem that he kept a scale model of the car at his home. And he reportedly ranked it as one of his all-time favorite Corvettes, equal to the 1957 SS. Former GM design chief Ed Welburn has called the car one of GM’s crown jewels. And we certainly see why.

The other vehicles on Car & Driver’s list of mid-engine C8 inspirations include the 1964 CERV II, 1968 XP-880 Astro II, 1970 XP-882, 1972 XP-895 Reynolds Aluminum Corvette, 1973 XP-987GT, 1986 Indy/CERV III, and the 2002 Cadillac Cien.