CORVETTE ZR1

EVEN BEFORE THE MID-ENGINE CORVETTE C8 LOBS IN AUSTRALIA, CHEVROLET HAS BIG PLANS FOR FUTURE VARIANTS, CULMINATING WITH NEW TWIN-TURBO V8-POWERED ZR1 AND ZORA MODELS DELIVERING FERRARI-BELTING PERFORMANCE. OVERSEAS-BASED FORMER WHEELS EDITOR ANGUS MACKENZIE TELLS ALL

- ANGUS MACKENZIE

THE MID-ENGINE C8 is a Corvette more than 50 years in the making. GM has toyed with the idea of a Corvette with the engine behind the driver since the 1960s, spending millions on engineering programs that went nowhere, building a bunch of running mid-engine concepts, like 1968’s big-block V8-powered XP-880 and 1973’s aluminium-bodied XP-895, cars that ended up mouldering in quiet corners of the company’s giant Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. But now, with its engine finally in the right place to optimise handling and aerodynamics, the eighth-generation Corvette brings America’s own sports car into the 21st century.

And GM is about to make the most of it. Four new C8 Corvette variants – the E-Ray, the Z06, the ZR1 and the Zora, each faster and more powerful than the current car – will be rolled out over the next two to four years. Two are hybrids, with all-wheel drive. One will have a naturally aspirated quad-cam V8 that reportedly revs to 9000rpm. Two will have turbocharged engines, and one of those is rumoured to punch through the 1000 horsepower (746kW) barrier.

In simple terms, think of the forthcoming Corvette line-up as Motown’s take on Porsche’s highly successful 911 strategy: The C8 Corvette on sale today is the equivalent of a base 911 Carrera, and the ones that are coming will be roughly analogous to Carrera 4, GT3, GT2 and Turbo S in terms of their purpose and performance.

The C8 Corvette E-Ray is the only new ’Vette variant that will have the 6.2-litre pushrod V8 that powers the base model. But there’s a twist – the E-Ray will combine its 370kW of old-school American muscle with a 160kW electric motor that powers the front wheels. Total system output is expected to be close to 440kW.