Chevy C8 Corvette Z06, Zora powertrains possibly leaked in GM document
As GM reportedly orders all future vehicle development paused, it looks like the automaker has outed the Corvette's future.
A big leak -- more like someone leaving the faucet on full blast -- has supposedly outed the Chevrolet C8 Corvette's future. And the details of the leak largely confirm past rumors about new variants in the pipeline.
Hagerty reported Wednesday after obtaining a General Motors document explained a company-wide order to halt future vehicle development, the Chevy Corvette included. In it, Hagerty shared details from the document surrounding what's supposedly in the works for the mid-engined Corvette, and if it's valid, there is a total of four new Corvettes coming.
First is the Corvette Z06, which is really a no-brainer addition. According to the information, there will be a 5.5-liter dual-overhead cam V8 mounted, with the LT6 designation, in the middle that produces 650 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Note, there's no indication of a turbocharger or supercharger mentioned, and this matches some specs from the Corvette C8.R race car. The new machine also sports a 5.5-liter DOHC V8 sans forced induction. It's widely speculated this is the same engine that'll plop into the Corvette Z06 down the road. According to this information, that's supposedly coming for 2022, but delays could push it back further.
Roadshow discovered this image last year, which appears to show a possible Z06 cockpit.
Next up is the Corvette Grand Sport, another familiar name, and it'll sport a somewhat familiar engine. Supposedly, the 6.2-liter LT2 V8 engine will remain from the standard Corvette Stingray. However, there's a hybrid system mentioned that juices performance to 600 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. Electrification appears to boost the power by 105 ponies over the standard Stingray, and it was scheduled for 2023.
What has been the tippy-top of the Corvette hierarchy, the Corvette ZR1, also gets a mention with some impressive specs. The document names the 5.5-liter DOHC V8 again, but with a twin-turbo system to boost output to 850 hp and 825 lb-ft of torque. While the engine minus turbos saw the LT6 name, this one's named the LT7. Again, these details continue to follow rumors that began circulating years ago, lending a smidge more credibility. The report names the ZR1 for a 2024 debut date originally.
What's new, and also expected, is the Zora name. Zora Arkus-Duntov, who many call the father of the Corvette, worked on numerous mid-engined Corvette prototypes in his day. This production C8 Corvette is largely the realization of decades worth of dreams. So it's been widely rumored his name would grace a new Corvette variant to honor him.
In this case, it looks like the Corvette Zora will be the most powerful iteration yet with a whopping 1,000 hp and 975 lb-ft of torque. According to the information, there should be a hybridized version of the LT7 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 to produce the whopping amount of power. Further information on just how far this electrified Corvette goes with the hybrid system isn't mentioned.
A Chevy representative told Roadshow, "We are not going to engage in the speculation on potential future product" when asked about the leaked information.
We're inclined to believe this information is valid, though it sounds like we'll have to wait a little longer before we get any new news surrounding the C8 Corvette.
