The Next Limited Edition C8 Corvette Could Be the World's Greatest Supercar, Here's How

But for all of its naturally aspirated 670 horsepower LT6 racing-derived V8 goodness, there's a sense about the latest limited edition Corvette that the breed has even more room to grow. In lieu of another long dissertation about how amazing the C8 Z06 is, let's do something different by looking not so distantly into the future and envisioning what the technological apex of the C8 platform might look like.

Of course, what's to follow is nothing more than speculation. For all its faults, GM is consistently tight-lipped about its plans for its special edition flagship Vettes until the last possible moment. When it comes to the C8 especially, one can understand why this is the case. But we can at least derive some clues from the pages of history and the current star attraction, the Z06.

GM's made a habit of improving incrementally on a base design since, at the very least, the C4 platform and arguably, even well before. They've historically done so in very meticulously planned increments so as to get the absolute best sales volume out of every bespoke addition to the nearly 70-year history of the Corvette. In the C6, a base power figure of 400 horses was improved to 505 with the C6 Z06 and 638 with the ZR1.

That's a roughly 21 percent increase in peak power between the C6 Z06 and ZR1 and approximately a 14.1 percent increase from the C7 Z06 to ZR1. For the C7's new LT V8, a base 450 horsepower figure was followed by 650 in the Z06 and 755 in the ZR1 halo-car. If GM is deadset on maintaining this consistency up to a five-or-so percent margin of error, the next special edition C8 Corvette (ostensibly the next ZR1) should be jetting somewhere in the ballpark of 770 on the low-end to up to 810 horsepower.

Now, we're not mathematicians, nor are we General Motors engineers. These are largely arbitrary measurements whose only purpose is to potentially predict a consistent path for special edition Corvettes to follow, as they have at least in a de-facto manner since the late 2000s.

The final power number could be more, less, or dead on the money, and it really makes no difference. So perhaps until we get some more concrete figures, there are, at least, other clues as to what's going to be on offer for the most powerful Corvette of all time.

Take, for example, the performance-oriented trinkets available with the Z07 performance package for the C8 Z06. We're talking about top-of-the-line performance parts like carbon-ceramic disk brakes at all four corners, carbon fiber wheels, and a more an aggressive rear wing. It's all tied together with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup II tires from the same lineage as the rubber found on higher-end C6 Vettes.

Expect all of this and more to be standard equipment on a range-topping Corvette to end all Corvettes. If this indeed is the end goal for Chevrolet, then there's no reason not to expect them to shoot for the moon and maybe the stars beyond. With plug-in electric hybrid drivetrains becoming the norm for flagship super/hypercars, would it be a stretch at all to believe the same may be true for the Corvette?

All-time supercar greats of the 21st century like the Porsche 918, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the McLaren P1 used PHEV configurations to transcend the bounds of what traditional supercars were capable of. In this vein, it would almost be a disappointment if the zenith of the C8 range doesn't lead to the LT V8 being paired with at least one electric motor.

With that in mind, it's still a fair assessment that adding some form of forced induction to the LT6 engine is a safer bet than plug-in electric compatibility. At that rate, assuming that turning the Corvette into a plug-in hybrid is as easy as throwing some batteries under the floorboards and an electric motor in the rear wheel-hubs is also a dubious assumption at best.

Whether it's a twin-turbo system or a more traditional supercharger unit remains to be seen. But it's something the top-of-the-line Corvette would feel incomplete without. But if you want to go fully into the lunatic foil-hat-wearing conspiracy nut side of things, is it really a stretch to believe a fully-electric factory Corvette is nothing short of inevitable at this point?

They turned the gosh darn Hummer fully electric. Frankly, it's all fair game at this point. Rest assured, we can't wait to see what the definitive limited edition Corvettes turns out to be. It might just be one of the greatest American vehicles, of any variety, in its 130-year history with motor vehicles. Perhaps not in terms of raw speed, but at least in terms of track times and a holistic driving experience. And hey, it may wind up pulling on a Bugatti-Chiron in the quarter mile. You never know when it comes to Corvette, it usually find ways to shock and surprise.

Check back soon for more from Limited Edition Month right here on autoevolution.