The upcoming 2018 Corvette ZR1 continues to edge closer to a production ready vehicle as Corvette Engineers continue developing the car and stripping a little more camo off the car on public roads.
In this latest batch of spy photos, we can see that Chevrolet has removed the large black plastic cladding off the front-end of the car that we’ve seen in previous spy photos, and used the typical black white sprial film in its place revealing the updated front-end and bulging hood design. What’s interesting to note here is that the hood design of this new ZR1 is reminiscent of the 1966 – 1967 Corvette big-block hoods.
We’ve seen previous prototypes sporting blue brake calipers reminiscent of the 2009 – 2013 Corvette ZR1, and these prototypes are wearing blue calipers on the rear as well.
As we can see from the photos, Corvette Engineers are also testing various aerodynamic packages indicating that we can probably expect a Z07 high performance package for the ZR1 like the one offered on the Z06 and Grand Sport.
The powertrain however remains a mystery. A version of the Z06’s 6.2L supercharged V8 could be used as well as a twin-turbo charged double overhead twin cam V8 that is rumored to be under development by GM Powertrain bringing back the LT5 designation for the engine that was used in the 1990 – 1995 Corvette ZR-1. Whatever the case may be, we could likely see horsepower in the 725 – 750 hp range.
The 2018 Corvette ZR1 is expected to be officially revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this coming January and go on sale in the summer of 2017.
Head on over to Car and Driver for all the photos.
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