The all-new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is only now just arriving in showrooms and already someone couldn't resist the temptation to imagine what a potential C9 could look like one day. Brazilian designer Ruperto Mallosto has not only created this batch of C9 renderings but has also chosen to do something that'll definitely spark some controversy: he's returned to the front-engine design.

Today's new C8, as everyone knows, famously switched to a mid-engine setup decades after Corvette godfather Zora Arkus-Duntov first dreamed of the idea. His wish has finally been granted. But there's no way the eventual C9 will go back to having its engine up front. There's simply no benefit for doing so, especially since, more than likely, it'll be an all-electric vehicle with a battery pack located in the floor and electric motors front and rear (or at each of the four wheels).

Despite GM's long-term commitment to the mid-engine design (and EVs, just saying), it's still nice to see what a potential front-engined future 'Vette might have looked like. In many ways, it looks more like the previous generation C7 than the new C8 at a few angles, especially up front. That long hood can't be visually missed.

The sides are adorned with sharp angles and a strong character line spanning from the front wheel vent all the way to the rear. The short rear deck makes a return as well. Those smoking quad exhaust pipes are another familiar touch. In some ways, these renderings could also show what the C8 could have been but ultimately wasn't.

Wherever you stand on the subject of where the Corvette's engine is located, these are still really cool images. It's always fun to imagine what could be but, in this case, stands little to zero chance of happening.

But most importantly, the Corvette lives and because of its new engine placement, has been generating more interest than ever, especially among younger buyers.