Kodiak Bear

https://media.daimler.com/marsMediaS...20at%20Daytona.

449er

Anyway you look at it, the Corvette has a bright future

Z0HS1CK

Well technically you can drive them on the street. What i'm saying is the GT3 is the more TAME street car. The RS is a track car, that you can drive on the street if you want.

Bucket seats, naca ducts, lightweight glass, magnesium wheels and stiffer suspension for the RS isn't more track oriented?

That's what RS means. Basically just a more "raw" track oriented version of the street (touring) model.

Racingswh

I get what you mean now. Neither version moves the meter for me.

Maybe I am an over the top Corvette fan boy but I have loved them as track cars since the first time I was at Pocono North in a 2002 C5Z06. Got along with it immediately and spent the next 30 minutes on track going around as many Porsches as I could. In 2005 I sold my last Porsche and haven't had one since.

This new C8 has got me wanting to add another Corvette more than I expected it would. It's definitely a great time to be someone who loves Corvettes.

Z0HS1CK

I agree. And corvettes get better with each generation.

Once i got my C5 over a decade ago, i was hooked. I stayed with corvettes as a weekend toy since then. Moved up quickly to a C6, then quickly again to a C7Z. The C7Z has been with me for the longest of all the corvettes i've owned. They are badass.

But i now appreciate more refinement and comfort over that "rawness" of a car.

I still think the ERAY will be a better street car over the z06. More low end torque, but it will be heavier to accommodate the small hybrid system. I suspect 3800lbs min for the ERAY.

I also suspect at least 3450-3550 for the C8Z.

Not a ton of weight savings but as i mentioned about the porsche RS, maybe GM can adopt some of those lightweight tactics to bring some weight down without having to charge an arm and a leg to make this a "back to it's roots" type of track machine.

G2gGolfing

Per the chart above... why would an electric motor on LT2 give you 105 hp, but with the Zora it get 150? I think that chart is wrong.

BIG Dave

LT2 - less torque electric motors, lesser amperage batteries, ZORA - higher torque electric motors, higher amperage batteries?

SYancy

I get a laugh out of the charts that pop up time and again like they are directly from GM. If the "rumors" about the GS/E-Ray are correct -- that it is to be an LT2 with electric drive to the front wheels -- expect the #s to be right around 605/585. The 500 torque # on the chart is laughable. With that said, I suspect the GS/E-Ray would out perform the Z06 just about everywhere IF the Z06 #s were as paltry as the chart suggests -- that being 600/470. Don't count on the Z06 #s being that paltry my friends and don't count on it taking a back seat in overall performance to the GS/E-Ray.

JerryU

Hmm, depends on what you consider a bright future! Some appear to NOT have digested what occurred in November or the effort to push out the source of fossil fuels even this past week.

Suggest you read this old press release that was planned to start in 2017 until it was stopped with a PEN. and the 1174 page government report it's based on said ALL sports cars will need to achieve ~40 mpg in 2025 and the LAW was to start in 2017 with increasing mpg requirements until 2025. The 54.5 mpg it quotes is the average of all cars. The government report it's based on specially lists the Corvette requiring ~40 mpg (all other sports cars would be the same.) It mentions increasing gasoline tax to force out ICE's! Just waiting for that shoe to drop!
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov...iency-standard

ATC399

JerryU

Reminded of the statement:
"There are people who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened."

Yep there are many who never read or understood that very detailed 1174 page government report! They prefer to "Play Ostrich" until they take their head out of the sand and say "What Happened??"

Z0HS1CK

I mean, there's nothing we can really do. Whether it favors us or the EV heads.

Think about it, how many of us upgraded from one gen to a new one?

This is good news. Because imagine having a sports car, that looks like a supercar, instantly having hypercar performance?

Well, we'll get it with the C9 EV corvette. Imagine easily having and out of the box EV platform that'll run 9.8 in the 1/4. No it won't have that V8 soundtrack but this is the future whether we like it or not. We can't change what is already happening right now as we type. It's already happening. The only thing that's helping us right now is TIME. But time never stops. So it's going to happen regardless.

Just enjoy what we have now, and be ready to move on with EV in the next gen!!!

Akscare

Some of great thoughts gentlemen!
I have MDX hybrid based on their ACURA NSX platform- after 2 years of driving I can tell you this car is much faster with added weight of batteries. Power packs adds 31 HPs and amazing all wheel drive handling - if I can see visible driving advantage in a heavy suv like MDX- I expect ERay to be phenomenal!

JerryU

Yep, agree nothing we can do now- too late. BUT no issue with the ACURA NSX or the current Ferrari SF90 Stradale with it's 986 hp (4 Liter V8 769 hp ICE and 217 hp hybrid motor.) Yep their "current operating method" DOES NOT require by law to get high mpg or soon in Europe very low CO2 emissions/km. That is coming. We'll see in normal driving how well they implement Start/Stop and how folks like the ICE coming on after the electric motor brings them to ~40 mph. Done well it may be fine.

When driving aggressively, at least the EPA mpg cycle does not need or consider mpg at wide throttle openings. It's assumed that is a small percentage of use. For the Corvette it's not different than today. The EPA required drive cycles to measure mpg assumes only enough throttle to accelerate to the EPA defined speeds and acceleration rate using all 8 gears and V4 mode. So you can still get the increased performance with the extra hybrid motor power when driving aggressively.

Speednet

It's putting that extra weight in the center-center of the car (and low). It's going to perform great.

Z0HS1CK

The ZORA with the TT FPC engine + hybrid will be the SF90 and the porsche 918 version for GM.

I think, like you said, if done right, we will see immediate implementation of that technology into the C9. Maybe the C9 won't be full EV or maybe some models will but i think the test is what's coming for the final variants of the C8.

Since i don't believe the ZR1 will have a hybrid system. I think the ZR1 will be the only ICE only TT FPC model. Then the ZORA having the same engine plus a hybrid system and the ERAY will have the LT2 with a hybrid system.

The ERAY and ZORA will be the preliminary runs of what we'll see in full swing with the C9.

I'm just curious how the ERAY would perform in comparison to the z06 since both the z06 and grandsport (or ERAY in this case now) have always been in comparison. Z06 better street car since it overheats on the track, grand sport more of a track car even though a bit underpowered.

Now the tables will be turned. Z06 will be the track car with the NA platform (crossing fingers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the ERAY will be the more potent street car of the 2.

ArmchairArchitect

I forgot about this- thanks for posting it again. I know there's a lot of arguments about what the Z06 should be (NA or TT) but the chart below, if accurate, shows that there is a C8 for every preference, so everyone should be happy if this comes to fruition.

Z0Sick6

Yeah, this is true. I spoke to my salesman who was helping my grandma with her Chevy Trax purchase. He confirmed it.

JerryU

Have no idea what the engines will be in the Z06 or Zora, too much speculation. And if something like the previously planned ~40 mpg requirement is implemented for the Corvette family (as well as Ferrari, Porsche etc) than could still have a low mpg Zora in the blended mix. Per the requirements in the 1174 page very detailed report, that works because there would be few $140,000+ Zora's sold to significantly influence the "average Corvette mpg." . For all those "hoping" the Z06 would not be subjected to the high mpg requirement, IMO too many are typically sold so would think at least in a few years that could not happen.

However the Pandemic and current "no fossil fuel" sentiment by enough folks (and those in control) may change the plan and it's possible just paying money or because you can afford a very expensive car polluting the Earth with higher CO2 will not be allowed! As the 1174 page report noted, it's NOT a gas guzzler tax paid by the purchaser, it's a "prohibitive" fine for the manufacture. Particularly in Europe, there will probably be maximum CO2/km requirements as they use a direct measure NOT some family average!

Also since Mary Barra and company is investing ~30 billion in new battery technology with a South Korean company, my guess is the Next Corvette model will be an EV. That battery plant is under construction in Lordstown OH. Having moved many of the "Corvette Engineers" on EV projects may be the way GM will introduce EV technology in cars and trucks with a high end EV Vette. We'll see now with a government in the US very sympathetic to eliminating fossil fuel and therefore ICEs the manufacturers, like Ferrari, who have waited for a "government" to take the blame for starting the ICE when the hybrid electric motor brings the car to ~35 mph MAY COME OUT OF THE CLOSET WITH THIER PLANS!

Z0HS1CK

I really am hoping that sheet is correct.

And yes you are right. If true, means that GM has made a C8 variant for EVERYONE!

I want that EL TEE SIX GOODNESS!!!

https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gm-engines/lt6/

PLEASE GM!