2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R To Battle It Out With European Racers

Not satisfied with ‘only’ unveiling the 2020 Corvette Stingray Convertible at a special event at Kennedy Space Center, Chevrolet has also introduced its new Corvette C8.R race car.

Chevrolet hasn’t released technical details about the Corvette C8.R but it is expected to have ditched the road car’s 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 in favor of a 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated V8 with a flat-plane crank. This explains why it has sounded so much different to the production model in spy videos.

Also Read: Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTE Could Soon Be Joined By GT3 Version

“The C8.R is much more than just a race-tuned version of the 2020 Corvette Stingray. It’s a culmination of many years of testing and development between GM Design, Propulsion, Engineering and the Corvette Racing team,” Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports, Jim Campbell said. “The collaboration between these teams has allowed us to take these vehicles’ performance to the next level, both on the street and the track.”

The No. 4 car presented to the world features a yellow and silver livery inspired by Corvette concepts such as the 1973 Chevrolet Aerovette and the 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer. Chevrolet has also designed a No. 3 car with a more traditional yellow color scheme with silver accents that continues the lineage of the successful GTLM racing Corvettes from the past two decades.

Chevrolet will initially run the C8.R through the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship where it will compete against the BMW M8 GTE and Porsche 911 RSR in the GTLM category. Its racing debut will be made at the Rolex 24 Hours in January 2020.

Corvette Racing has secured no less than 107 race victories since 1999, netted 13 team championships, 12 driver titles, and 12 manufacturer titles. It will hope to replicate this success with the new C8.R.