Future Cars: The C8 Corvette's Performance Variants Promise Plentiful Power
Five new variants of Chevy's sports car are on the horizon, starting with the Z06.
WHAT IT IS: The eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette won our 2020MotorTrendCar of the Year award, but it's just the starting point. Chevy Performance is gearing up to roll out five high-performance variants of the C8, and a new Z06 will be the first to arrive. Expect about 625 horses from its 5.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-plane-crank V-8 that ought to redline at 9,000 rpm. With its aggressive aero and sticky tires, the Z06 will surely pack some serious Ferrari 458 Speciale vibes.
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The Z06 will be followed by a new ZR1, which will likely bolt two turbochargers to the Z06's powerplant and subsequently pump out about 850 hp. Around the same time, expect to see a gasoline-electric hybrid Corvette, which will be the first production all-wheel-drive version of the model in its history. The rear wheels will be powered by the C8's 6.2-liter V-8 (or possibly something with a couple of fewer cylinders) and an electric motor. The front wheels will each get an electric motor. Plug-in capability is likely. Those same two electric motors will be joined by a powerful third motor powering the rear axle on the electric Corvette E-Ray. Finally comes the Zora, a 1,000-plus-hp PHEV hypercar that mates the Corvette Hybrid's electric motors to the ZR1's monster engine. The exotic car world is hereby put on notice.
WHY IT MATTERS:Although the latest Corvette captured our COTY honors, it placed fifth out of seven at our 2020 Best Driver's Car competition. Chevy needs high-performance variants to keep up with and even beat the likes of Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and McLaren. We know what Chevy Performance is capable of, and when world-class power and handling are combined with the Corvette's relatively low price, the results ought to be world beating.
PLATFORM AND POWERTRAINS:There's a lot of room for more plumbing in the C8's engine bay. Likewise, filling up the frunk space with batteries and motors makes packaging sense. We also know the 5.5-liter flat-plane V-8 in the C8.R race car was developed with more than just endurance racing in mind. Although a production engine would lose the 500-hp restrictor plate, it's unclear what measures will be required to meet durability standards with such a large flat-plane V-8.
ESTIMATED PRICE:A sum of $90,000 seems like a good starting point for the Z06, whereas the ZR1 will probably start in the $120,000 neighborhood. Details are sparse for the Hybrid and E-Ray, but $80,000 for the Hybrid and $100,000 for the E-Ray EV make sense. Expect to pay close to $200,000 for the range-topping, 1,000-plus-hp Zora.
EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE:Early 2022 makes sense for the Z06. The Hybrid will probably appear toward the end of 2022, followed by the ZR1 and the E-Ray in 2023. The Zora should appear by 2024, about halfway through the C8's lifespan.
