Photo: https://www3.wipo.int/branddb/ph/en/
Zora comes from Zora Arkus-Duntov, the engineer who introduced the small-block V8 to the Corvette. Also a professional racing driver who advocated for a mid-engined production car, Zachary Arkus stepped down from his role as chief engineer of the Corvette out of frustration with the bean counters and higher-ups at General Motors.
In his place, Dave McLellan did exactly what the suits in Detroit wanted, advocating for a front-engine C4 instead of Zora’s mid-engine layout. However, the Belgian-born engineer had the last laugh with the eighth generation that Chevy rolled out for the 2020 model year.
Because Zora wanted to make the switch so early in the Corvette’s existence, word has it that the range-topping version of the C8 will bear his name. General Motors trademarked “Zora” in June 2014 in the United States and Canada, and since then, the trademarking spree went global. In other words, a new performance variant is looming on the horizon.
“Following painstaking research,” GM Authority has learned that General Motors “has filed for Zora with 31 intellectual property offices around the world.” From Australia to Zimbabwe, Moldova to the Philippines, Serbia to Indonesia, Vietnam to Tunisia, and Algeria to Singapore, the legal team has been very busy in these past six years or so.
Our first official confirmation about the Zora came from the owner’s manual of the 2020 model year Stingray. Page 244 reads “lithium-ion battery module” and “power sounder module with pedestrian-friendly alert function.” These two, ladies and gents, indicate that electrical assistance for the C8 Corvette isn’t a question of “if” but of “when.”
Hagerty expects the Zora to launch in 2024 for the 2025 model year, and the engine it’ll reportedly get is the LT7HP1. Given that LT6 is the codename of the flat-plane crankshaft V8 in the Z06 and LT7 is that exact engine with a pair of turbochargers in the ZR1, the report may have some degree of accuracy to it. But what about the electrical part?
Well, the Zora has often been rumored with an e-powered front axle, translating to electric all-wheel-drive. In combination with the LT7HP1, the peeps at Hagerty are expecting 1,000 horsepower (1,014 PS) and 975 pound-feet (1,322 Nm) of torque or thereabouts.
Because Zora wanted to make the switch so early in the Corvette’s existence, word has it that the range-topping version of the C8 will bear his name. General Motors trademarked “Zora” in June 2014 in the United States and Canada, and since then, the trademarking spree went global. In other words, a new performance variant is looming on the horizon.
“Following painstaking research,” GM Authority has learned that General Motors “has filed for Zora with 31 intellectual property offices around the world.” From Australia to Zimbabwe, Moldova to the Philippines, Serbia to Indonesia, Vietnam to Tunisia, and Algeria to Singapore, the legal team has been very busy in these past six years or so.
Our first official confirmation about the Zora came from the owner’s manual of the 2020 model year Stingray. Page 244 reads “lithium-ion battery module” and “power sounder module with pedestrian-friendly alert function.” These two, ladies and gents, indicate that electrical assistance for the C8 Corvette isn’t a question of “if” but of “when.”
Hagerty expects the Zora to launch in 2024 for the 2025 model year, and the engine it’ll reportedly get is the LT7HP1. Given that LT6 is the codename of the flat-plane crankshaft V8 in the Z06 and LT7 is that exact engine with a pair of turbochargers in the ZR1, the report may have some degree of accuracy to it. But what about the electrical part?
Well, the Zora has often been rumored with an e-powered front axle, translating to electric all-wheel-drive. In combination with the LT7HP1, the peeps at Hagerty are expecting 1,000 horsepower (1,014 PS) and 975 pound-feet (1,322 Nm) of torque or thereabouts.
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