Chevrolet has already wicked up the C8 Corvette with the racetrack-ready Z06 and hybrid E-Ray – but the biggest and best is yet to come. And we’ve had a sneak peak of what that is, the all-new Corvette ZR-1.
C8 Corvette Owners Facebook member Kevin Bayerlein spotted three prototypes of the new high-performance ‘Vette in San Diego recently. It’s believed they are the upcoming ZR-1 based on the unique air-intakes at the front. This isn’t the first time the ZR-1 has been spotted testing, with the car previously captured running around Germany’s Nurburgring.
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There’s been plenty of rumours and speculation in recent years about what will power the new ZR-1, the first of this mid-engine eighth-generation model, but the smart money is on a new version of the same engine found in the Z06.
That is the new 5.5-litre V8 flat-plane crankshaft engine, codenamed LT6, which makes an already impressive 500kW of power and 623Nm of torque in the Z06. However, for the ZR-1, to ensure it’s capable of keeping up (and maybe beating) the best from Ferrari, Lamborghini and co. Chevrolet has reportedly added a pair of turbochargers. This reportedly boosts performance to a whopping 633kW and 1118Nm, which definitely puts it into world-class supercar territory.
But that’s not all…
Reports from the USA suggest Chevrolet is planning a new model that would sit above the ZR-1, taking its 633kW/1118Nm twin-turbo V8 powertrain and adding the front-axle mounted electric motor from the E-Ray to give the car a hybrid boost. This could potentially bump the total power figure above 745kW, or 1000hp.
This is all unofficial at the moment, but Chevrolet should confirm details when it reveals the ZR-1 later this year.
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