The ultimate eighth-generation Corvette Stingray will make its debut on July 25.
Supercar builders are forever raising the bar for one another. They introduce a new car with impossible speed credentials and then, year after year, produce special editions just a tick faster (and a lot more expensive).
For the eighth-generation Corvette — the first mid-engine version of America’s classic — we’ve seen a steady progression of faster and faster. First came the Corvette Z06, with its 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 borrowed from Chevy’s racing team and its 2.6-second sprint to 60 mph.
Then came the hybrid Corvette E-Ray, the quickest production ‘Vette ever. With an electric motor powering the front wheels and a 6.2-liter small block V8 powering the rear, it was the first all-wheel-drive (AWD) ‘Vette. It gets from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.
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Soon, it will get knocked off the top step. Chevrolet has spent the spring teasing a new Corvette ZR1. We know only rumors at the moment, but they suggest a turbocharged version of the 5.5-liter V8 found in the Z06. A few split-second glimpses in two videos posted to YouTube suggest a massive rear wing.
We’ll know more soon. A third video Chevy posted this week tells us nothing about the car but gives a date – July 25.
A persistent industry rumor says the ZR1 may use the same front-axle hybrid system as the E-Ray, combined with a more powerful engine. We’ll know more in a month.
