ZR1 Coming Summer 2024; Big, Bad LT7 Behemoth Inbound
Chevrolet just announced the long-awaited C8 ZR1 with the most ethereal teaser for the alleged twin-turbo monster.
Whenever you see a “ZR1” badge on a Corvette, you automatically know that vehicle represents the absolute zenith of what any sports car should be both on road and track, and that it is a new performance milestone for Chevrolet each time they develop one.
The 2009 ZR1 introduced forced induction to the platform via the LS9; the 2019 version blew past the gates of hell with the holy grail 755-HP LT5. However, the 2025 model year is not just another milestone for GM and Chevy–it is also another de facto triumph for Zora Arkus-Duntov from the grave, too.
Always Meant to be Turbocharged
Duntov had a lot of desires for the Corvette (moving the trans rearward, implementing all-wheel-drive, etc). But he strongly held two beliefs during his tenure at GM: that the Corvette should have always been mid-engine, and that it should use turbos. And back in 1980, five years after his retirement from the General, he made a C3 that matched that vision exactly at the time. He teamed up with Ohio-based American Custom Industries and used an L82 small block mated with a low-psi turbo wrapped in a fiberglass body (with his name emblazoned on the sides, of course).
Curiously, Chevrolet also once mused about how restore all the lost HP on the Corvette back in 1980 by using binned parts from the factory in an experiment. The energy crisis of the late ’70s & early ’80s and the EPA ramping up restrictions caused a massive shift in automotive production standards. Naturally, high-output motors were the first on the chopping block.
So…Will it Have Twin Turbos?!
Flash forward to 2024, and GM has already fulfilled most of Duntov’s vision (C8 Stingray being mid-engine, E-Ray using 4WD) so why stop there?
It’s very likely it will have centrifugal boost, as our sister site Corvette Forum got a first-hand look at what is possibly a prototype of the LT7 at the National Corvette Museum back in 2022. And if the engine noises are anything to go by, it will obviously use the LT6 as a base.
Another reason why we’re hedging our bets on a whistling ZR1 from the factory is because we at least know it will not use the same hybrid drivetrain as the E-Ray, thanks to leaked photos on the Nürburgring from from Fall 2023. And with the C8 Z06 being N/A, its pretty much all but confirmed they will have to use a forced-induction solution, and we’re betting on black for this one.
…And Active Aero?!
We’re also betting that massive rear wing is going to be part of a broader active aero system, which may or may not be confirmed by GM’s recent filing with the United States Patent Office back in January 2024.
The patent seems to primarily address a new eLSD, but it also specifically mentions an “active aerodynamic actuator,” which can really only be related to the wing, as evidenced by the following passage in the summary:
“…In one aspect, the aerodynamic actuator includes a front wing attached to the vehicle body adjacent to a front end of the vehicle and a rear wing attached to the vehicle body adjacent to a rear end of the vehicle, at least one control action includes a desired attack angle of the rear wing, the supervisory control module is configured to adjust the desired attack angle of at least one of the front and rear wings when at least one of the vehicle body, the front and rear axles, and the front and rear wheels is unstable…”
This clearly suggests that a GM performance car (very likely the ZR1) is getting this system for track use. And it sure sounds like it be a downforce titan wherever this car goes.
What do you all think? Leave comments in the forum!
Photos: Chevrolet
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