UPDATE: C7 ZR1 Spied At The Nurburgring, Bulging Hood Could Hide Supercharger

The most revealing spy shots yet reveal a tremendously bulging hood, which is even more extreme than what the C7 Z06 has to offer. In fact, it’s very close in design to the carbon fiber hood of the 650-hp Camaro ZL1. We can also spot a reworked front bumper, which integrates bigger air intakes for more of that sweet and burbly suck-squeeze-bang-blow action.

On the subject of propulsion, there’s no official info on what kind of V8 engine the C7 ZR1 will use. Some say it’s a more extreme tune of the LT4 V8 in the Z06, others advocate for Chevy’s new LT5 DOHC V8, whereas the wildest of rumors suggest Cadillac's 4.2-liter twin-turbocharged V8.

If it were turbo’d, the hood bulge wouldn’t be there. This leaves speculation open about the LT5 and LT4. The LT5, however, is naturally aspirated, so tick that one off the list as well. The best bet for the C7 ZR1 is the Z06’s LT4.

This presumption is backed by GM literature on the 2018 model year. According to a screen capture published by avid Corvette Action Center forum member, RPO code R8E stands for “Gas Guzzler Tax, ZR1.” Considering that the only variant of C7 hit by the said tax is the Z06, it’s even more likely the soon-to-debut ZR1 will build on the Z06’s blown tower-of-power.

It will be interesting to see what else Chevy has in the pipeline for the 2018 Corvette ZR1, but one thing is certain: the seventh-gen ‘Vette will not go out without a bang. And eye-catching blue brake calipers, of course.

LATER EDIT

Spy photos of the C7 ZR1 on the Nurburgring added to the gallery.

UPDATE

Here's a video of the ZR1 on the 'Ring doing its thing.