Corvette Racing C8.R teased during 2020 Chevy C8 reveal
It's a mean-lookin' race car, even with all that camouflage.
When Chevrolet introduced the 2020 Corvette to the world last night, it included some teasers of future related products. In addition to a glimpse of the drop-top Corvette Convertible, Chevrolet also gave us a sneak peek at its next race car, and it's a stunner.
While we were only able to pull some stills from Chevrolet's low-quality livestream, which makes the Zapruder film look like an IMAX masterpiece, what you see here is the next iteration of Corvette to head to the racetrack. The C8.R only showed up for a few seconds, and while we're still very light on details, we can make some educated guesses here.
We'll start with what we can actually see. The exterior looks pretty true to the form of the C8, albeit with some enhancements to the car's aerodynamic profile, like the massive wing out back or the small canards on the front bumper. In addition to the standard headlights above the front bumper, there are also some much more powerful LEDs hanging out where the fog lights would normally go.
Yep, that sure looks like a race car, alright.
We were also able to grab a quick picture of the interior, which looks about as empty as you'd expect a race car's interior to be. There's a roll cage, a steering wheel littered with buttons and a camera-based rearview system that can tell the driver how quickly a vehicle is approaching from behind. That last little bit of tech has made its way into Chevrolet's backup camera system on its passenger cars, with growing warning triangles alerting drivers of encroaching obstacles.
Everything else is up for debate. The C8.R's predecessor, the C7.R, used a 5.5-liter V8 producing about 491 horsepower. Power will likely stay near the same level, but it's unclear what engine Chevrolet will actually tuck behind the driver. Chevrolet will likely stick the C8.R in the same racing classes as before -- LMGTE for Le Mans, and GTLM for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship -- pitting it against other mid-engine competitors from Ferrari, Ford and Porsche.
Even without the racing version, the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is shaping up to be a proper performer. Its 6.2-liter dry-sump V8 will put out 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque with its optional performance package, allowing for a sprint to 60 miles per hour in under 3 seconds. And that's the base model, which will have a starting price below $60,000. The platform was built with electrification in mind, so we might see a hybrid or even a battery-electric variant in the future. It's also loaded up with technology, including a clever front-nose-lift system that uses GPS to ensure you don't forget about that one nasty speed bump in the next town over.
The C7.R is still performing admirably, so there's a lot of pressure on the C8.R to keep that train movin'.
