How Will ZR1 C8 Shape Tomorrow's Hypercar Landscape?
With all-wheel-drive and a 900 horsepower hybrid powertrain, the C8 ZR1 Vette could send other supercar makers scrambling to catch up.
Game Changer
Rumors have swirled for some time now surrounding the C8 Corvette Z06 and potential ZR1, particularly what sort of powertrain they might feature. The most recent claims that the king of the hill ZR1 will feature both a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel-drive, with a monstrous total output of 900 horsepower. Obviously, this would be a game-changing development not just for GM, but also the Corvette's competition.
Photos: Chevrolet
Hypercar Status
According to these latest rumors, the next ZR1 will employ a twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 with electric motors designed to fill in torque gaps in the power curve. This is the sort of thing we've seen in the past with cars like the McLaren P1, LaFerrari, and Porsche 918 Spyder. The only difference? Those cars cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases cresting the million-dollar mark.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
All-Wheel Terror
Of that hypercar trio, only the Porsche is all-wheel-drive. If GM bestows the ZR1 with motors driving both axles, that would be a Corvette-first. This would be achieved with a single electric motor and a 1.94-kWh battery pack positioned in the center tunnel. Reportedly, the motor is capable of producing 114 horsepower and can be disconnected from the front axle when additional power isn't needed.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
Little Competition
If true, the C8 ZR1 could make even more waves in the world of performance cars than the base Stingray did when GM pulled the covers off of it a few months ago. Obviously, we have no idea what sort of price tag they might affix to the ZR1, but you can bet that it'll severely undercut the competition. And with this sort of powertrain, the ZR1 wouldn't have much competition, either.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
Comparison's Sake
When you take a look at the 2019 Corvette ZR1, none of these numbers seem terribly unrealistic, either. That car produces 755 hp from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 and sells for just over $120k. It'll also do 0-60 in 3.0-seconds flat, a number recently bested by the base model C8 Stingray. So we can only imagine (and speculate) as to what the C8 ZR1 would be capable of.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
Drawing Comparisons
If the forthcoming ZR1 also utilizes the C8's new dual-clutch transmission, the sky is the limit. Throw in a monstrous horsepower figure that nearly doubles the output of the base C8 and prodigious grip from an all-wheel-drive system, and you've got a potential world-beater. Especially when coupled with electric assist. At this point, we have to look at some seriously lofty competition if we want to draw any sort of comparison.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
With the Quickness
The Porsche 918 Spyder, which would be the ZR1's most similar competitor, produces 887 combined horsepower and 944 lb-ft of torque. It did 0-60 in a startling 2.2-seconds, which matches the Tesla Model S P100D. But Porsche only made 918 copies of their hypercar, selling them for a whopping $845,000 each. We'd imagine that the C8 ZR1 could at least match this performance, and do so at roughly 1/7th of the price.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
Best Ever?
Those numbers would also crush the LaFerrari, which managed to do 0-60 in 2.4-seconds with 949 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque on deck from a V12 and electric motor combination. As well as the Bugatti Chiron (2.5-seconds), Dodge Demon (2.3-seconds), and McLaren P1 (2.6-seconds). There are obviously some ground-breaking cars on the way that could best these numbers (including the Tesla Roadster), but the ZR1 could feasibly top them all.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
Mind Boggling
And that's a mind-boggling proposition when you think about it. The list of the world's quickest-accelerating cars is dominated by extremely limited production vehicles selling for big money, with the exception of Tesla's top Model S. If the C8 ZR1 can beat them all, it would truly set the world of performance cars on its ear. Manufacturers would be sent scrambling back to the drawing board trying to figure out how to beat it.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
Bright Future
And if these rumors prove to be true, we don't doubt the ZR1's performance potential one bit. After all, the base C8 is already capable of beating just about everything else on the road today with no power-adder, rear-wheel-drive, and a pretty cheap price tag. The future certainly looks bright, unless you're one of the unlucky folks who design performance vehicles at a manufacturer other than GM.
Photos: Chevrolet
>>Join the conversation about the ZR1 C8 right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!
For help with service of your car, check out the how to section of LS1Tech.com