After years of speculation on the internet that the ultimate mid-engine C8 Corvette would be named in honor of its original champion, Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chevy let the air out of our sails this week with the introduction of the…ZR1X.
So after going to the trouble in the past few years of trademarking the name ZORA (perhaps to prevent some other company from doing so?), why did GM not take things a step further and pay tribute to the engineer who was there almost from the very beginning and always wanted the Corvette to switch to a mid-engine format?
Well, Road & Track has the official answer straight from a GM spokesman: “ZR1X is an extension of the ZR1 family, so we believe ZR1X is a fitting name for the new variant.”
That makes sense in some ways, since the new C8 variant unveiled this week at the Bowling Green assembly plant is basically a ZR1 on steroids – with the addition of all-wheel drive and an even more powerful electric motor than is used in the similar hybrid (and less powerful) E-Ray to produce the 1250-horsepower behemoth.
“I know ZORA was broadly speculated by enthusiasts, but since it was future product, it was never something we weighed in on,” the same Chevy spokesperson told R&T. “What I can tell you is the team felt this Corvette was deserving of the ZR1 designation, and it was an opportunity to show that even though ZR1 and ZR1X are different cars, they have strong familial resemblance and represent ultimate Corvette performance.”
Road & Track also suggested its own theory about the name, writing: “Chevy isn’t saying this, but maintaining the ZR1 designation ensures a ‘greater’ version of the Corvette doesn’t minimize the herculean car that the ZR1 is. Like Chevy says, they’re different cars, but both the ZR1 and ZR1X represent ‘ultimate Corvette performance.’”
As for the use of the “X,” which officially stands for nothing, Chevy says there was “no grand scheme behind it” and that it “was about sticking close to ZR1.”
Perhaps, Chevy might make amends to enthusiasts who were hoping for the “ZORA” by offering a special package, say, like the Atlantic and Pacific editions of the C7, but those were appearance options and go against the hardcore, performance-oriented nature of Arkus-Duntov throughout his career. After all, he hated the split-window in the ’63, so we wonder if he would be in favor of its reappearance on the new ZR1X coupe (though the blind spots aren’t as much of a concern now thanks to technological advances).
Source:
Road & Track
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