The worst-kept secret is out.

In a series of actions Thursday night, General Motors has confirmed that it is making the long-rumored mid-engine Corvette and it will break cover on July 18.

The first production Corvette to sport an engine mounted behind the driver, the next-generation Corvette will be called the C8 and will debut as a Stingray with a 500-horsepower, push-rod V-8 engine.

In a not-so-cryptic notice on GM's website, the company posted to customers:

"Don't get left behind. The Next Generation Corvette is the most anticipated Corvette ever.

GM CEO Mary Barra and Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter in a camouflaged C8 tooling around the streets of New York as Barra announced the car's existence at a charity event in New York.
The icing on the cake came shortly after when GM product chief Mark Reuss posted pictures of the C8 on his Facebook page.

Rumors of a mid-engine Corvette have been around for years as the current car pushed the boundaries of front-engine performance.

The Detroit News first confirmed the existence of the mid-engine car in August of 2016 and spy photographers have taken multiple shots of the car testing on race tracks and roadways around the US.
Watch for further reports about where the C8 will be shown without camouflage, and expect a race car version to debut at the Daytona 24 Hours next

Receive updates straight from the source and be the first to know about the Next Gen Corvette. "