- Chevrolet is testing a brand new hybrid Corvette that may likely be called a Zora
- The brand new hybrid will function a flagship model and pack hypercar levels of power
- A debut is more likely to coincide with updates to the entire C8 Corvette range
When you thought the 2025 Corvette ZR1 with its 1,064 hp was the tip of the performance road for the C8-generation Corvette, you then’d be mistaken.
Chevy has a plan to take America’s sports automotive into hypercar territory with a brand new hybrid flagship more likely to be called Zora, a trademark General Motors has made efforts to guard.
The most recent spy shots and video show what’s more likely to be the brand new Corvette Zora within the making, and the automotive already looks very fast as its rips around Germany’s Nürburgring racetrack.
Although the camouflaged prototypes resemble the recently launched ZR1, a few clues point to it being the Zora. The largest giveaway is the yellow sticker on the rear window/engine cover in a number of the earlier shots, which is a requirement in some countries for testing of electrified vehicles.
One other difference is the ZR1’s missing split rear windshield. The most recent prototypes feature the C8’s regular design. And people odd-looking exhaust suggestions are temporary mufflers fitted to make sure the prototypes meet Nürburgring noise requirements.
There’s also a brand new front-mounted vertical radiator that hints on the hybrid powertrain.
While Chevy hasn’t mentioned plans for a Zora, the rumor mill points to the automotive combining the ZR1’s mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 with the front-mounted electric motor from the Corvette E-Ray, a model that also has the same front radiator used for keeping the electrical motor cool. The E-Ray’s 1.9-kwh battery pack, mounted in the middle tunnel and weighing about 100 kilos by itself, also needs to be fitted within the Zora.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
The electrical motor is rated at 160 hp within the E-Ray, and within the Zora could potentially take combined output to around 1,200 hp, while providing extra traction and helping overall efficiency. Considering the E-Ray with its combined 655 hp already sprints to 60 mph from rest in 2.5 seconds, the Zora may get things all the way down to around two seconds flat.
Timing for the Zora’s release is uncertain. A debut late this 12 months or early next is anticipated, meaning the automotive may arrive as a 2026 model within the U.S. though it may be pushed back to 2027. The automotive’s arrival is anticipated to coincide with a round of updates for the entire C8 Corvette range, which can include a revised interior design that drops the present interior’s button-lined divider wall.
Zora Arkus-Duntov with a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette
If the name Zora means anything to you, you are probably a fan of the Chevrolet Corvette. The name comes from Chevy engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, who is commonly labeled because the “father of the Corvette.” While he didn’t create the automotive, he’s credited with turning it from a boulevard cruiser into something approximating a correct sports automotive. It was his decision to drop a V-8 into the unique automotive back in 1955, for instance.
Zora was also huge fan of motorsports, and worked his magic on the Grand Sport program that took the C2-generation Corvette racing. It’s here where he saw the necessity for a mid-engine layout, which led to him convincing General Motors to construct mid-engine concepts for testing purposes, the primary being the CERV (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) concept rolled out in 1960.
This Article First Appeared At www.motorauthority.com
