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The Latest: Engine moved from front to middle on new 'Vette

WARREN, Mich. (AP) - The Latest on the introduction of the new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette: (all times local):

11:40 p.m.

The new Chevrolet Corvette doesn't look much like earlier versions of the classic American sports car.

With the engine in the middle instead of the front for the first time, it more resembles a Lamborghini, Lotus or McLaren race car. Engineers say they had to move the engine because they had reached the performance limits of a front-engine car.

The 2020 version was unveiled Thursday night in a glitzy ceremony at a World War II dirigible hangar in Orange County, California.

Engineers say it will perform far better than the current front-engine model and will be quieter on the road.

Although it looks more like a racer, they kept some of the old Corvette's looks such as the tapered fastback rear and pointed shark-nose hood.

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11:16 p.m.

The new Chevrolet Corvette doesn't look much like earlier versions of the classic American sports car.

With the engine in the middle instead of the front for the first time, it more resembles a Lamborghini, Lotus or McLaren race car. Engineers say they had to move the engine because they had reached the performance limits of a front-engine car.

The 2020 version was to be unveiled Thursday night at a World War II dirigible hangar in Orange County, California.

Engineers say it will perform far better than the current front-engine model and will be quieter on the road.

Although it looks more like a racer, they kept some of the old Corvette's looks such as the tapered fastback rear and pointed shark-nose hood.

This June 24, 2019, photo shows a pre-production 2020 Chevrolet Corvette automobile in Warren, Mich. The mid-engine C8, the flagship of GM's Chevrolet brand, will have the weight balance and center of gravity of a race car, rivaling European counterparts and leaving behind sports sedans and ever-more-powerful muscle cars that were getting close to outperforming the current 'Vette. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press
This June 24, 2019, photo shows a pre-production 2020 Chevrolet Corvette automobile in Warren, Mich. The mid-engine C8, the flagship of GM's Chevrolet brand, will have the weight balance and center of gravity of a race car, rivaling European counterparts and leaving behind sports sedans and ever-more-powerful muscle cars that were getting close to outperforming the current 'Vette. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press
This June 24, 2019, photo shows a pre-production 2020 Chevrolet Corvette automobile in Warren, Mich. The mid-engine C8, the flagship of GM's Chevrolet brand, will have the weight balance and center of gravity of a race car, rivaling European counterparts and leaving behind sports sedans and ever-more-powerful muscle cars that were getting close to outperforming the current 'Vette. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press
This June 24, 2019, photo shows a pre-production 2020 Chevrolet Corvette automobile in Warren, Mich. The mid-engine C8, the flagship of GM's Chevrolet brand, will have the weight balance and center of gravity of a race car, rivaling European counterparts and leaving behind sports sedans and ever-more-powerful muscle cars that were getting close to outperforming the current 'Vette. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press
This June 24, 2019, photo shows a pre-production 2020 Chevrolet Corvette automobile in Warren, Mich. The mid-engine C8, the flagship of GM's Chevrolet brand, will have the weight balance and center of gravity of a race car, rivaling European counterparts and leaving behind sports sedans and ever-more-powerful muscle cars that were getting close to outperforming the current 'Vette. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press
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