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2025 Corvette Zora – What We Know So Far About the Hybrid Flagship

The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette rumor mill had been brewing for so long that when the C8 finally went official, some people were even expecting it to bear a different name.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06 E-Ray prototype 15 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype
That obviously didn’t happen since the Corvette moniker is here to stay no matter if its powertrain is situated in the front or behind its occupants.

That said, if ever-increasing rumors and recent speculations are true, the legendary nameplate will also continue to live on as a separate brand while adorning the most powerful production supercar in General Motors history.

Tentatively named the Corvette Zora, the mid-engine hybrid model was initially expected to be unveiled next year, but the project was put on hold amid the ongoing international health crisis, alongside other Corvette-related sub-projects as well.

New information leaks surrounding GM’s upcoming plans are placing the Zora project to go official sometime in 2023 or even 2024 at the earliest, right after the current Corvette C8 receives a comprehensive mid-cycle refresh and the ZR1 also makes an appearance.

2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
If all things go as planned, the Corvette Zora will completely demolish all power and performance records ever held by Chevrolet or any other General Motors brand, mainly thanks to a hybrid powertrain that combines a V8 with at least two electric motors that take their juice from a compact Ultium battery.

Named after Corvette and racing lover Zora Arkus-Duntov, who helped introduce the small-block V8 engine to the Corvette back in 1955 and was pushing for a mid-engine Vette to go on sale in the early 60s, the new range-topper is expected to be a supercar with hypercar performance.

Most of its power will be delivered by a brand new V8 currently in development, while the no-emission part will come courtesy of at least two electric motors for a total output of over 1,000 horsepower.

2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Codenamed LT7, the 5.5-liter V8 is apparently based on Cadillac’s 4.2-liter Blackwing engine and will resort to a twin-turbocharging system to deliver around 700 horsepower and a massive 1,150 Nm (875 lb-ft) of torque.

Despite its LT moniker, the mill has almost nothing in common with the latest-generation Small Block overhead valve (push-rod/OHV) engine family from GM, which includes the LT2.

Instead, the Zora’s V8 is part of a new family of DOHC engines that will also include the LT6, which is a naturally aspirated, flat-planed version of the LT7. The LT6 will also be paired with a 115-horsepower electric motor for the upcoming Corvette C8 Z06, which is tentatively named E-Ray.

Getting back to the Zora, you can expect the model not to feature the Chevrolet bowtie for improving its credentials among other established supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren, while also elevating the Corvette brand to a more upscale area.

2022 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 prototype
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Despite being all-wheel-drive, the V8 will exclusively power the rear wheels, while the front axle will get power from two electric motors, once for each wheel. Situated smack in the middle of the car, a next-generation Ultium battery with a capacity of around 10 kWh will supply enough juice for up to 50 km (31 miles) of emission-free electric driving.

The funny bit is the Zora will therefore be the first front-wheel-drive Corvette in history when in electric drive mode, but fret not, those motors will be there mainly for providing the model with neck-snapping acceleration in any gear first and foremost.

With a top speed of 200+ mph (322 kph), the Corvette Zora will be mainly about track domination, not land speed records, as its 0-100 kph (62 mph) acceleration time is expected to be under 2.5 seconds.

Design wise, despite featuring a similar mid-engine layout as the Corvette C8 it’s partly based on, the Zora will have its own look. Don’t expect any plastic bits inside the cockpit either, with carbon fiber and other space-age materials to infuse both its chassis and two-passenger cockpit.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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