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C8 Corvette E-Ray Hybrid Sports Car Spied Benchmarking Against Acura NSX

Two years after Chevy introduced the C7 Z06, the Grand Sport was added to the Chevrolet Corvette lineup. Essentially a Stingray with the dry-sump engine of the Z51 Performance Package and goodies from the C7 Z06, the Grand Sport will be replaced by a hybrid Corvette known as the E-Ray.
C8 Corvette E-Ray hybrid sports car 45 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
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Originally expected to premiere in 2022, the fuel-sipping sports car may have been pushed back to 2023 for the 2024 model year because the Z06 has been confirmed for the 2023 model year. Spied testing alongside the flat-plane crankshaft V8-engined C8 Z06, the E-Ray can be seen benchmarking against a hybrid supercar in the guise of a white Acura NSX.

Instead of a twin-turbocharged V6 or a flat-plane V8, the E-Ray is understood to pack a cross-plane V8 in the form of the LT2 from the C8 Stingray. The hybrid part of the powertrain may consist of an electric motor (or two electric motors) up front, which is a double-edged sword when you think about it. On the one hand, electric AWD should be great in the twisties. But that motor (or motors) may render the frunk useless as well.

The rear tires read Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 ZP and 345/25 ZR21 on the sidewall, which confirms the rumors according to which the E-Ray would feature the wider body of the Z06. As a brief refresher, the Z06 has been spied with 345/25 by 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R steamrollers, the same compound that helped Porsche break the Nurburgring lap record with the Manthey Racing 911 GT2 RS back in June.

Up front, the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray boasts air intakes that slash down toward the center point of the bumper for better looks and improved cooling. A total of five prototypes were captured by the carparazzi with two different wheel designs, coupe and convertible body styles, as well as a right-hand-drive cabin configuration for the Australian, Japanese, and British markets.

Another interesting detail that’s worth highlighting is the instrument cluster, which is covered with a taped-on panel to keep the prying eyes of the spy photographers from seeing any of the E-Ray’s graphics. On that note, what kind of numbers can we expect from the hybridized small-block V8 engine?

For starters, the LT2 develops 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet (637 Nm) of torque with the less restrictive NPP exhaust system. Hearsay suggests 50-plus horsepower from two electric motors butted together, raising the hybrid system’s output to approximately 600 horsepower. The internal combustion-only Z06, by comparison, promises 617 horsepower.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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