Y-body - All About All

Y-body

The GM Y-Body is the chassis platform shared by the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac XLR. It has a rear-wheel drive, front-engined V8 layout, accomodating either a small block Chevrolet V8 (such as an LT4 or LS1) in the Corvette, or the 32-valve DOHC Northstar V8 in the XLR. The Y-Body also has 4-wheel independent suspension. Like standard rear-wheel drive, front-engined chassis, the Y-Body's V8 engine is longitudinally mounted, but unlike many such cars, the Y-Body incorporates a rear-mounted transaxle instead of a transmission mounted directly to the engine. Power is transferred to the transaxle via a torque tube. The transaxle is offered in both 4-speed automatic and 6-speed manual versions.