New Chevrolet C8 Corvette ZR1 rumored to possess 900 Horsepower
With the new C8 Corvette just around the corner for 2020, there are several speculations in the wind as to how much more powerful the new generation of ‘Vettes will be. Motortrend may have a definitive answer to that question. As it stands, the magazine cites a senior official at GM, who shall remain nameless, that the C8 ZR1 may pack as much as 900 horsepower right out of the factory.
A monster in the works
The new C8 Corvette has taken the sports car market in the US by storm. The entry-level Stingray won't be available by February, and Chevrolet reports that the company has already hit 60% of the total allocated pre-order units. Packing in a newly designed LT2 6.2L V8 under the hood, this beast has 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque sent straight to the rear wheels. Now that the engine is mounted in the middle, the car's weight balance has been refined. This makes it not only the most powerful Stingray ever but the best handling one as well.
Muscle Cars and Trucks did a recent dyno test with the new C8 Corvette. The results of the test made quite a buzz since the actual power figures went way ahead of the official data. The C8 Corvette Stingray is easily capable to take on the best of the Porsches and McLarens, without costing more than a dime above $60,000 for the base trim.
It's not the first time when the internet is going crazy over the new C8 Corvette but yeah this news shook the Corvette world as the 2019 Corvette ZR1 had a horsepower of 755 only. A bump of 145 horsepower could be a gamechanger for Chevy.
Power and More Power
Whereas the Stingray seems impressive enough with its performance, it denotes the just tip of the iceberg. Early in November, Chevrolet unveiled the C8.R racing car that will compete in the Daytona. This version had a 5.5L flat-plane crank 5.5L V8 that produced 500 horsepower. While this LT2 powertrain is sure to find its way into production Corvettes, Chevy has also confirmed twin-turbo and hybrid powertrains of the same.
A recent report from Jalopnik stated the design and cutaway images for both the C8 Z06 and ZR1. While the Z06 would go for the twin-turbo LT2 V8 engine, the hybrid powertrain would find its way into the ZR1. According to this report, there is a section in the front of the car housing a 1.94 kWh battery connected to an electric motor in the front axle. The setup would deliver an additional 114 horsepower to the front wheels, making the total output to 914 horsepower. That is 100 more than what Chevrolet had initially led everyone to believe. Not only that, the arrangement of the engine and motor make the C8 ZR1 effectively an AWD.
When can it hit the showrooms?
It is rather difficult to predict when the C8 Corvette ZR1 might make its way to Chevrolet dealerships. Since there has been no official announcement, we can safely assume that there will be nothing happening until at least the fall of 2020. This puts the Z06 behind by a year from the Stingray, a rather large time gap by Corvettes. Nevertheless, the specs show that the supercar-killer is well worth the wait. It may be one of the best performance cars, even the most powerful production cars, to ever set foot on American soil, ever. For updates regarding the launch of 2020 C8 Corvette check out Chevy Cars where they cover everything related to Chevrolet and all it's upcoming projects.
