The rumor about GM developing a mid-ship Corvette is as old as it gets, but this time, it could be real as spies have caught a telling test-mule.

Spy shooter Chris Doane cornered a strange prototype that Car&Driver magazine believes is an engineering mule for a new mid-engine Corvette model.

It’s a bizarre looking beast blending parts from Holden’s Commodore SSV ute, including the front end and tail section, with the cabin section, roof, and some other elements such as the exterior mirrors from the current C7 Corvette Stingray.

C&D editor Don Sherman says that the appearance of the prototype on the road “suggests that the C8 Zora sports car is on schedule to roll into showrooms in about 20 months as a 2017 model”. He adds that the mid-engine supercar won’t replace the front-engine Corvette Stingray, but will be sold alongside offering a new-gen V8 with a displacement of around 4.0-liters – possibly, GM’s upcoming twin-turbo V8.

You can get a better look at the test mule over at Caranddriver.