Chevrolet has only impressed us with the C8 and its wildly powerful and wickedly capable variants. Now, another is on its way, and it may be the most impressive to date.
The latest evidence comes from Colorado, where the person behind the Frim Autos YouTube channel spotted a collection of test vehicles stopped in a hotel parking lot ahead of a long day of high-altitude driving.
Sporting familiar camouflage, few details are visible in these test cars, though nothing can hide the rear wing on one of them. Remarkably similar to the rear wing available on the Z06, as part of the Z07 Performance Package, Chevrolet may be playing its cards close to its chest, or simply choosing not to fix something that ain’t broke.
Read: Future Corvette C8 Lineup Allegedly Leaked, Includes 1,000 HP Zora Hybrid
Other test cars seen in the video linked below don’t have a rear wing, though the way the camouflage is held away from the front of the cars would suggest that a new front splitter is present.
The relative lack of aero elements is a bit of a surprise since early reports would suggest that these cars will need all of the downforce they can get. A document leaked back in 2020, which has been reasonably accurate with regard to other Corvette variants, suggests that there are still two more to come.
We already have the standard C8, the Z06, and the hybrid E-Ray, so now we’re awaiting the ZR1 and the ZORA. The former is expected to be powered by a twin-turbocharged version of the 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine that powers the Z06. In the ZR1, it will reportedly make as much as 850 hp (634 kW/862 PS) and 825 lb-ft (1,118 Nm) of torque.
Meanwhile, the ZORA model will be powered by a hybridized version of the same engine, which is slated to make 1,000 hp (746 kW/1,014 PS) and 975 lb-ft (1,322 Nm) of torque. Reports of an all-electric version of the Corvette have also percolated up through the grapevine, but these particular test vehicles all sound like they have combustion engines.
The Corvette ZR1 is expected to arrive in 2024, while the ZORA will arrive roughly a year later. Based on everything that Chevrolet has delivered on the Corvette so far, it will be exciting to see what they come up with for these range-topping models.