The eighth-generation, or C8, Chevrolet Corvette has broken a lot of new ground — think mid-engine layout, twin-turbo engine, and electric propulsion — and now it’s about to merge all those ideas into one model.
In a short video on Instagram, Chevrolet says: “The hype is real. A new Corvette is coming.” The new Corvette variant will be revealed on June 17 US time, and will have some sort of X-releated branding, if the end of the video (bottom) is anything to go by.
In previous rumours and reports the car was referred to as Zora, after Zora Arkus-Duntov, a former chief engineer of the Corvette in the 1960s and a proponent of switching the car to a mid-engine layout.
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Apparently Chevrolet has gone cold on the name, but the Zora, or whatever it will be called, has been spied on and around the Nurburgring by our spy photography agency.
The Zora will reportedly mate the ZR1’s 5.5-litre twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 with the E-Ray’s electric motor to create a new range-topping performance model.
According to our spy agency, the monster can be heard from miles away, and sounds particularly excellent when shifting gears. Visually the prototype is a dead-ringer for the production ZR1, except for the downturned quad exhaust tips, the high voltage warning sticker on the window, and Michigan manufacturer’s plates.
In the ZR1, the 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 punches out a mighty 783kW and 1123Nm, and is hooked up to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automated transmission.
When equipped with the ZTK Performance Package, the ZR1 can zip through the 0-60mph (0-97km/h) standard in 2.3 seconds.
The twin-turbo V8 is expected to paired with the Corvette E-Ray’s electric motor, which develops 120kW and 165Nm, drives the front wheels, and is connected up to a 1.9kWh lithium-ion battery.
In the E-Ray, the electric motor allows for silent, leisurely front-wheel electric-only driving, as well as improved traction and more power during spirited driving. It’s likely it will serve the same purpose in the Zora.
While the Stingray, E-Ray and Z06 are all built in both left- and right-hand drive at GM’s Bowling Green factory in Kentucky, allowing it to be sold in Australia, the ZR1 is a left-hand drive-only affair.
Although according to Jess Bala, managing director of GM Specialty Vehicles Australia and New Zealand, this doesn’t automatically rule out the Zora being available in right-hand drive.