Spied Split-Window C8 Chevy Corvette ZORA Gets Imagined as 1,000-HP Electrified Hypercar

Reborn in 2019, when the initial official presentation showcased the eighth iteration of the iconic Chevrolet Corvette, the nameplate was reinvented by Team Corvette as the first rear mid-engine sports car since the model's introduction in 1953. As such, the traditional front engine RWD setup was abandoned in favor of something that was more akin to European supercars, and the world had not looked back since 2020 when production kicked off because the C8 Corvette is a stupendous example of excellent design and feisty engineering.

The success naturally attracted more variants, and in 2021 the Z06 homologation vehicle arrived for the 2023 model year sporting a new naturally aspirated (LT6) 5.5-liter V8 with a flat plane crank and no less than 670 hp, a record-breaking figure for production vehicles. Meanwhile, the Stingray borrowed its LT2 naturally aspirated 6.2-liter (with up to 495 hp) to the third variant of the family, the C8 Corvette E-Ray, the first-ever performance hybrid variant and also the first Corvette with eAWD. Dubbed the quickest Corvette ever made, the E-Ray has 655 hp from the LT2 V8 and an electric motor for some spectacular figures: zero to 60 mph (96 kph) in 2.5 seconds and a 10.5s ET down the quarter mile at the local dragstrip.

However, this trio of Corvettes is only part of the sage for the C8. So, not long ago, Chevy fans spotted some neat prototypes in their usual resting place in Colorado – potentially indicating that Team Corvette was hard at work testing and benchmarking the upcoming 850-hp C8 Corvette ZR1 including against a Porsche 911 GT2. The rumor mill naturally believes this will be an evolution of the Z06 with the same engine rocking a pair of turbos to ensure it has plenty of supercar abilities in the future. But wait, that was not all, and also certainly not the end of the spying story.

Instead, right when Corvette racing fans were glued to their TVs to see if the company would make a triumphant return to the 24 hours of Le Mans race (it did, yay!), some folks were also keeping an eye on the same location that is prone to prototype spotting. And, as it turns out, another bunch of camouflaged Corvettes caught the eye of eager fans, complete with potential rumors that now we were dealing with a fresh C2 Sting Ray Coupe-inspired split rear window design that could arrive on the alleged ZORA flagship.

Mike from Brink of Speed quickly discussed these juicy rumors of the 1,000-hp electrified hypercar, which could act as the top-of-the-line Corvette with around or even more than 1,000 hp on tap. And even better, he also tapped the resources of digital car artist Rain Prisk for a potential unofficial presentation of the ZORA to have the digital depiction as support for kicking off the argument. So, what do you think? Should we give it our CGI hall pass and hope that, indeed, Corvette will present a stunning split-window tribute to Zora Arkus-Duntov, the "father of the Corvette," or is the camouflage just a ruse designed to fool people into thinking they know enough hints about the final design?