What We Can Glean About the C8’s Future From the E-Ray

By
Alex Sommers
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What We Can Glean About the C8's Future From the E-Ray

Photo Credit: Chevrolet


Since July 2019, the one word that can accurately describe the state of America’s Sports Car is “unprecedented.” After decades of rumors, it is still kind of surreal to think that we live in a world where the Corvette wears its engine in the middle, and now we’re staring down the barrel of a hybrid, all-wheel-drive sports car with the Crossed Flags affixed to its trunk. It is truly stupefying, but the C8’s uniqueness boils down to so much more than the car itself. Production has been a whirlwind of worker strikes, natural disasters, parts shortages, and even a pandemic, and for the first time ever, new models are arriving with little-to-no surprise factor. More or less, we’ve known Chevrolet’s entire game plan for the C8 since the first year of production. This kind of insider information doesn’t just leak, especially at General Motors, but the Corvette seems to have made a transition to a place that can only be illustrated by a really good, physical, run-first football team; no trick plays necessary, here is exactly what we are going to do, stop us if you can.

Because of the background evidence (that is hitting .1000 up to this point, by the way), the E-Ray reveal gave us some new puzzle pieces to plug in and explore. Let’s start churning butter and put on our church shoes, little sister; we’re about to blast off!

What We Can Glean About the C8's Future From the E-Ray


Did the E-Ray Just Show the ZR1’s Hand?

So, what we know so far is that the C8 lineup will consist of an LT2-powered Stingray, an LT2/hybrid E-Ray, and a Z06 with LT6 power. What we also think we know is that GM has two more models in the pipeline – a ZR1 that will send its ponies to the rear wheels via a twin-turbo version of the LT6, which is set to receive the LT7 moniker, and a range-topping “Zora” that marries the LT7 and the E-Ray’s AWD/battery pack setup.

Now that the E-Ray’s secrets have all been laid bare, one could assume that they could figure out some ZR1 and Zora specs with the careful application of third-grade mathematics. With the C8 ZR1’s output as the X variable, and GM’s goal of using the 160-HP electric half of the E-Ray’s powertrain to give the Zora 1,000 combined horsepower, we come to a third-gen Blue Devil that makes 840-ponies.

This lines up nicely with GM’s Pre-SAE certification projections from the Don Sherman leaks, but C8s have consistently been over-delivering on those projections, with the Z06 making 20 extra horses and the GS-turned-E-Ray putting 55 on top of its estimate. Using that margin, the ZR1 could actually land anywhere between 860 and 895 on the HP spectrum, which would only force its turbos to boost an extra 190-225 out of the DOHC 5.5L architecture, giving the LT7 a specific HP rating of 156 to 163 horses-per-liter which is certainly within the realm of possibility when McLaren is extracting a stable of 755 from its twin-snail 4.0 (that is known to be severely underrated) – which comes out to 188.75 HP-per-liter.

What We Can Glean About the C8's Future From the E-Ray


This all assumes that the Zora will use the same 160-horse non-plug-in electric motor as the E-Ray. Keith and I texted back and forth about this on Tuesday, and there’s always the possibility that the Zora bumps things up a notch or three by placing individual electric motors at each of the front corners or something different altogether. Going to those lengths for an extremely limited production model doesn’t make a lot of financial sense, but in the ecosystems of electrification and 1,000 supercars, economic considerations don’t really factor in.

With the performance envelope that the Corvette team has already been able to extract from the LT2 hybrid, though, and since we are already looking up at hypothetical combined outputs of 1,000-1,055 HP for the Zora, as is, we would bet a silver dollar that the Zora utilizes the system that will be bought, paid for, and field tested by the already impressive E-Ray.

What We Can Glean About the C8's Future From the E-Ray


Part II: Is Corvette Done With the Sub-$100k Market?

While it led to all of the entertaining speculation above, the unveiling of the E-Ray did leave one sizable splinter in our brains. The new Corvette of “firsts” is a F’ing $104,295-dollar car! Not only is that before-option price within a couple thousand bones of the Z06’s jumping-off point, but it leaves a massive gap in the lineup. We’ve been hoping for a C6-like mid-cycle engine refresh that brings an upgraded “LT3” to the Stingray or another mid-grade model (return of the Grand Sport, anyone?), but the E-Ray’s continued use of the 495-horse original C8 motor crashed that party a bit this week.

Here’s how an LT3 could still happen, though. The Corvette hierarchy is looking more and more like that of our rear-engine rival these days, with ever more complex iterations filling gaps that we’ve never thought of before. In this world of fully-diversified platforms, a $42,395 canyon between model MSRPs is just leaving money on the table. Chevy needs something to slide into that $85-90,000 sweet spot, and they are just one final small block V8 away from making it happen. We’ve laid out our “what we’d do” plans for an LT3 before, but the basis of the operation would be an aluminum version of the 6.6L “L8T” HD truck V8 that could act as the 396-cube bookend to the large-bore ‘Vette party that started back in 1965. Such an engine could easily make 520-550 naturally-aspirated horses, and more-than justify its upcharge from the base LT2, if it didn’t outright replace the 6.2 in Corvetteland. The good news is that Bowling Green is about to have some free capacity on its hands. Remember, they are still building LT1s for the Corvette’s big little brother, but with the Camaro reportedly heading out to pasture (again) after the ’24 model year, our LT3 could take its place on the production line!

What We Can Glean About the C8's Future From the E-Ray


We wouldn’t peg our confidence of this actually transpiring at much more than a faint chance, but we will have our collective eyes glued to the space between the Stingray and E-Ray until the day that the first C9 is minted!

Related:
[VIDEO] Corvette E-Ray’s ‘Cyclone Turn’ is Mesmerizing
Why Does the E-Ray Exist? Because Owners Never Take Their High Performance Vettes to the Track
[SPIED] 2024 Corvette E-Ray Displayed Inside the Corvette Assembly Plant

 



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8 COMMENTS

  1. Man, I keep forgetting the base C8 coupe is the El Cheapo value deal of the year, especially after seeing the C2 prices at Kissimmee! 🙂

  2. One of the YouTubers you published last week slipped in a comment that the ZR1 might get the electric motor and flat plane. He implied that someone in management said this. It would be far more realistic, way less expensive to develop and simpler to build than putting in turbos and still get the power to 825hp+.
    There did not seem to be enough room for two electric motors between the front wheels.
    Time will tell. Who wants to bet otherwise?

  3. I think a LT6 with that AWD E-Ray set up in front is a natural and the easy way to go. That would make a nice ZR1 in my opinion. Another option and one that we will see for sure by the aftermarket is, the basic E-Ray that is turbo or supercharged. I believe turbocharging the LT6 will require modifications for that LT7 label to lower compression and maybe shorten the stroke for less displacement. Note that Emelia, who has put turbos on her Z06, has been hyper cautious and only has 3 lbs of pressure. She is more about doing what her fans expect her to do. She as said that she will likely take them off. The Zora could be a more than a little more expensive last hurrah car with that redesigned LT6 to handle the turbos and something beyond the E-Ray’s hybrid system. There is certainly room for a wide body Grand Sport in the $80,000 range that might have a few more HP, or not. But, is all this asking too much for Corvette to produce…spreading production out too thin. They can not likely produce all the Z06’s wanted by current deposits. Don’t forget the all electric SUV that could happen sooner than later.

  4. I think GM has lost the plot entirely. It’s not a fun car to drive anymore, nor affordable, you can’t mod it, buying one is like getting a Tickle-Me-Elmo at Christmas, it’s brought out the absolute worst in nearly all of their dealerships and fomented an avalanche of ill will towards their company. It’s also entirely too complicated and upmarket for the level of skill and service at their dealerships. Methinks Icarus is getting a little too close to the sun with these shenanigans.

    Too bad the C8 can’t be more like the CT5-V Blackwing. That magnificent beast got a Corvette heart and soul transplant while the C8 went on to become soulless, effeminate eurotrash.

  5. Wow. That sure is a lot of high dollar variety for a small assembly plant that can’t build enough base Stingrays.

  6. What we know is the Corvette is quickly no longer attainable for the average Joe working man. Only people that will buy one is someone with lots of discretionary income or a fool that makes large payments he can’t afford in the long run. Guess Chevy needs to roll out a turbo charged 4 cylinder Malibu with lots of stripes and fake vents for the little people.

  7. The only thing GM can do to save face is offer a TT V8 C8 at the same $105k price that the ERAY and ZO6 share now. No smart car guy is going to pay a $40k premium to add 300lb+ to only get 125 ft lbs of torque, that only lasts for a few seconds. No track guy wants a 3,700+ “track car”. Any dummy saying the ZR1 should be electrified needs to sit down and shut up. Save the high MSRP and electrification for the ZORA which can be the GM HALO car that is TT C8 plus 300HP+ from front electrification.

  8. Wake up……we are no longer GM’s target market. GM is going after the mega bucks, limited production market. Try to buy any of the 911 special editions, mega bucks, limited availability, see ZO6, E-Ray, ZL-1, ZORA…….thats the GM model for the Leno’s, influencers and auction types of today and tomorrow, not us old school Vette types. Go find a nice C6 or C7 and get some chrome wheels too……

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