Car and Driver Previews the Future Corvette ZR1 and Range Topping Zora Models

In its May 2023 issue of Car and Driver, the magazine not only previewed details of the 2025 Corvette SUV as we shared yesterday, but they also got back to the program’s sports cars with a look at the upcoming Corvette ZR1 and rumored top-of-the-line Zora models.

For the C8 generation, Chevrolet has so far turned out three very focused models. The base model Stingray showed that GM can build a reliable and fun mid-engine sport car for the masses, the Corvette Z06 is the naturally-aspirated track weapon with its Ferrari-inspired high-winding, flat-plane crank V8 engine, and the upcoming 2024 E-Ray with its eAWD extends Corvette driving to four seasons, while also marking the first foray into electrification.

As Car and Driver points out, the foundations for the next two Corvette models are “currently hiding in plain sight” as the Z06 and E-Ray models will be used as the starting points for the ZR1 and Zora models.

The C8 Corvette ZR1 is still expected as a 2025 model, with twin-turbos providing additional firepower to the 670-hp Z06. We’ve heard estimates of the ZR1 achieving somewhere between 800-850 horsepower. That would be an increase over the 755-hp LT5 in the C7 ZR1, and with the car coming out in just another year, it will be around a lot longer than the previous ZR1 as well.

Car and Driver believe the ZR1 will target the McLaren 750S and the Porsche 911 Turbo S in performance, and the ZR1 should regain the “quickest Corvette” title from the E-Ray with a similar 0-60 mph in 2.5-seconds or less. The car will again be heavier than the already heavy Z06 by an estimated 200 lbs as it accounts for the turbos, plumbing, and additional cooling. The magazine also speculates it could be the first appearance for active aero, and you can be a Z07-like performance package available for track use. Still, its base price of $150,000 will make it significantly cheaper than those competitor models “by tens or even hundreds of thousands,” says the magazine.

The Corvette Zora will take the “King of the Hill” title from the ZR1 as the “new top-dog Corvette,” with the model receiving the ultimate honor of being named after Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette’s legendary first chief engineer. Expect the Zora to be a mash-up of the ZR1 twin-turbo power on the rear wheels while an E-Ray-inspired front electrical drive system is added to the mix, resulting in an estimated 1,000 horsepower combined. Car and Driver says it could weigh in at 4200 lbs, but with the turbo-electric powertrain, it will be “the Top Fuel dragster of the Corvette line-up” with the car estimated to run 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds and under 10 seconds at 150 mph in the quarter mile. Like the E-Ray, the Zora will be dressed to the Ts with luxury features and a ride quality that beckons for a cross-country road trip. A $200,000 price tag will accompany the car, but with the ability to compete with the electrified Lamborghini Aventador replacement and the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, it will be the ultimate exclamation point for the C8 generation.

So there you have it from Car and Driver Magazine. It’s pretty much what we’ve been expecting since the launch of the Stingray.

This exercise also allows us to take a quick moment to point out an obvious gap in the line-up between the base Stingray and the Z06/E-Ray and we still think the rumors of C8 Grand Sport should not be taken lightly. A Grand Sport model with the widebody looks of the Z06/E-Ray combined with the reliability of the Stingray’s LT2 powertrain would be an easy way for GM to coax an additional $20K from buyers while providing a new model that really requires no special engineering or development considerations.

Source:
CarandDriver.com

Related:
[VIDEO] 2025 Corvette Zora: Would You Buy One?
What We Can Glean About the C8’s Future From the E-Ray
[SPIED] GM Testing the Ferrari SF90 Stradale Performance Hybrid at Milford with Eyes Towards the E-Ray and Zora