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Chevrolet Astro II - Ahead of its time and almost forgotten

Name: Chevrolet Astro II 1968
Brand: Chevrolet

Created on December 12, 2025

Text:

Karl Ludvigsen (Übersetzung Paul Krüger)

Photos:

Ludvigsen Partners

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Ludvigsen Partners

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - No connection under this number: It would be over 50 years before the first production Corvette with a mid-engine was launched

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The XP-880 with a new name on the grounds of the Chevrolet design studio

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Chevrolet XP-880 (1967) - side elevation by Larry Nies

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Chevrolet_XP-880 1967 (chassis with frame in the shape of a tuning fork. The front central tube is also the fuel tank) -

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Chevrolet XP-880 (1967) - chassis with engine. The rough exhaust indicates the status of the test vehicle

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The see-through drawing reveals coil springs at the front and the transverse spring at the rear as well as the large radiator at the rear

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Chevrolet XP-800 (1967) - Early clay model whose rear view is similar to the Porsche Carrera GTS (904)

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Chevrolet XP-800 (1967) - early clay model, still with side air intakes, which the later car did not have

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The "Firefrost Blue" paint color came from the 1964 Cadillac range; the rear side windows were smaller than on the first model

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The three-quarter front view is one of the best perspectives of the XP-880, and the strongly drawn-in flanks give it a light appearance

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - Air intake and exhaust grilles at the top and bottom of the rear. A spoiler lip in between for optimum aerodynamics

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Chevrolet XP-880 (1967) - Shortly before completion: still without a name, but with indicators under the nose and the wheels of the Chevrolet Camaro

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - Although it was denied the pioneering status of the first production Corvette with a mid-engine, it looks like a serious sports car and not like a fantasy product

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The racy shape was Larry Shinoda's last work for General Motors

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - in the factory collection alongside another concept from the research department: a rear-engined Corvette à la Porsche

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - Today it is part of the General Motors factory collection

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The front storage space is surprisingly large. The hood folds back like the Porsche Carrera GTS

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - View of the cockpit, in which the occupants are closely enclosed by the center tunnel and the wide doors

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The seat shell is part of the GRP body. The rear-view mirror halfway up the A-pillar anticipates the Ferrari Testarossa

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Chevrolet Astro II (1968) - The dashboard with speedometer up to 160 mph was little more than a makeshift. The steering wheel was a standard Corvette part

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Ford GT40 Mark III (idea for a Corvette rival: a road-going offshoot of the racing car) -

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Ford Mach 2 (1967) - The potential Corvette competitor as a life-size model: moderately attractive, but with a mid-engine

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Summary

When Ford hinted that it wanted to bring a mid-engined Corvette competitor onto the market, Chevrolet had to react. The XP-880 was then created in the research department under Frank Winchell, and in 1968, as the Chevrolet Astro II, it was to show the future of the Corvette. But only a short time later, the need for a mid-engined Chevrolet disappeared along with the competition.

This article contains the following chapters

Competitive pressure from Ford
Frame and engine
Suspension and brakes
Testing and presentation
Change of leadership

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Zora Arkus-Duntov's only rival for the role of “Mr. Corvette” at General Motors was Styling Staff's William L. Mitchell. Fortunately each man had his own distinct area of responsibility and competence. When and where they overlapped, which was often, Bill and Zora usually managed to reach a compromise if not full agreement. In the 1960s, however, Zora's hegemony was threatened within the walls of Chevrolet Engineering at Warren. The threat arose more by chance than by design. Early in 1960 Bob Schilling, meticulous theoretician whose Corvair contributions were seminal, was replaced as the head of Chevrolet's Research and Development Department by Frank J. Winchell.

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