According to some clever reporting from TheCorvetteActionCenter, where folks are very good at studying order codes for General Motors cars, it’s pretty clear that the forthcoming Corvette Zora will be an absolute beast.
The backwards sleuthing involved knowing how Chevy codes for both the C8 Vette’s ZR1 powertrain, and how they code for the E-Ray. Here’s how those puzzle pieces fit together for the forthcoming Zora, and why we’re expecting performance at least nearish the $2.2 million, 1,877-horsepower Rimac Nevera.
This One Goes Beyond Eleven
When you combine the 1,064 horsepower from the ZR1’s twin-turbocharged V-8 with the 160 horsepower of the E-Ray’s electric motor, you get a combined 1,224 horsepower. We don’t know if that’s what you’ll get from the Zora. Part of why we say that is that just because the E-Ray manages to combine 495 horsepower from the 6.2-liter V-8 of the Corvette Stingray and 160 horses from a small electric motor that drives the front wheels, doesn’t mean the same tech or arrangement will work in the Zora.
You’re talking about a lot more force when you try to fuse the 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 out of the ZR1 with a hybrid drivetrain. And you’re requiring a great deal of engineering to take the AWD setup of the E-Ray and nearly double the amount of horsepower ripping through it.
Further, we have to wonder if, in the case of the Zora, Chevy isn’t also sending some of that propulsion from the V-8 to the front wheels as well, since otherwise, the added power of the electric motor may not be doing enough to aid in handling.
Aero And More Aero
Without a doubt, the Zora is going to need significant downforce. In this way, the ZR1 has solved a lot of that challenge already, because it lacks the weight of a front electric motor, and yet Corvette engineers still managed to use both a chin spoiler, significant forward channeling, and a massive rear wing to generate over 1,200 pounds of downforce on that car. Doubtless, that’s critical to keeping the Zora nailed to the track, but if you watch this video footage you can still see significant front tire lift through some corners. That’s the effect of (likely) above 900 pound-feet of torque at full throttle!
Exhausting!
The quad tailpipe arrangement on the mule version of the Zora looks decidedly tacked on. That’s not what we’ll see for production, given Corvette’s penchant for a set of properly incorporated trumpets, like what’s on the ZR1. Why this setup for this mule? We don’t have a clue. Though it’s possible Chevy engineers are working out kinks on the exhaust itself, and it doesn’t make much sense to bother designing around one problem only to create more issues. Or, that plumbing could be totally fake, just to throw off the paparazzi. It’s also reasonable to assume Chevy could be adding and subtracting them to meet street noise regulations for their mules.
TopSpeed’s Take
At $171,000 to start, the ZR1 runs about half the average home price in America. Though, arguably, it’s not the appreciating asset of real estate. At least perhaps unless it enters the collectible echelon of a few Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris.
We know very little about the Zora, too, and it could very well be a limited-run car, with Chevy wanting simply to continue to push into hypercar territory. Which, yes, is tremendous. Particularly when the ZR1 already matches or bests those exotics at prices that, yes, are still insane, but arguably not quite as bonkers. Plus, you can get yours serviced at your friendly neighborhood Chevy dealer, and still show up on track day and slay all comers. That’s the Corvette way, and we gotta love them for it.
Source: TheCorvetteActionCenter
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