Unless you have been living under a Martian rock and had nothing to do with Earth’s automotive world, it is no secret that Zora Arkus-Duntov is known as the “father” of ‘America’s sports car.’
Remember, we are not dealing here with the actual inventor of the legendary Chevrolet Corvette, as that title rightfully belongs to automotive designer and business executive Harley Jarvis Earl. Instead, Arkus-Duntov, who was also a 24 Hours of Le Mans-level professional racing driver, became heavily involved with the engineering aspects of the Corvette for about two decades after first seeing the original Corvette on display at Motorama in New York City in 1953.
Throughout the years, his engagement with the sports car made it the icon that it is today and helped shape the American view of sports cars, including with help from the Corvette Grand Sport, among others. He was also an ardent supporter of rethinking the traditional front-engine RWD layout of the Corvette into a more European-like midship position – something that only came to fruition with the C8 iteration decades later.
Today, though, it is safe to say that Zora’s legacy is both well protected and extremely successful if we are to judge by the current state of the Stingray, Z06, and first-ever eAWD E-Ray business. And, with 495 horsepower plus 655 (combined) or 670 FPC (flat-plane crankshaft) ponies behind the two seats, it is also easy to say that Chevrolet has covered all the sports car basics. But remember, the Corvette also likes to dabble with the supercar crowd, considering the previous ZR1 installments.
While all the supply chain issues, the health crisis, and other world-impacting problems like war and other conflicts are certainly putting a strain on the automotive world, that does not mean Team Corvette should modify its plans of bringing to life the C8 ZR1 as soon as possible. Reports are putting the model around 850 hp but some older hints (from around 2020) are also talking about an all-mighty ‘Zora’ version with electrification, a twin-turbo V8, and no less than 1,000 horsepower!
Recently, Brian Mello, a YouTube vlogger dedicated to all things General Motors, remembered all this, and then asked the cool yet imperfect AI tools to design a 1,000-hp C8 Corvette ZR1 aka ‘Zora’ flagship for his “would you buy one” series. Alas, just to make it a tad more enticing, he did not refrain from hypercar influences and asked the AI assistant to come up with something that could shame even a Koenigsegg if ever turned real.
Now, if the question of buying such an outrageous ‘Vette, which could cost well more than $200k might feel a little beside the point, let us rephrase and make it a simpler choice. So, do we give it our CGI hall pass, or is the AI-designed supercar a bit too much over the top for what the Corvette actually stands for?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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