The upcoming mid-engine Corvette could be named Zora
Chevrolet could stick the name “Zora” somewhere on the upcoming mid-engine Corvette, according to internet speculation based on the revelation the company was trademarking the nameplate in several different markets, including the U.S., U.K., China and Australia.
The name refers to GM engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, who’s known as “the father of the Corvette,” largely for his impassioned plea to upper management to keep the sports car program alive when they almost killed it a few years after its 1953 debut.
Duntov was a part of the Corvette development program from that year through to his retirement in 1975, and was a huge proponent of the concept of a mid-engine version.
He went so far as to have a prototype, the XP-819, built in 1964.
Users on a mid-engine Corvette forum recently uncovered the fact GM is registering the “Zora” name via a search of worldwide patent databases. It’s not a guarantee it will show up on the C8-generation car, but it’s more than likely.
GM has said next to nothing about the mid-engine ’Vette, but prototypes have been spied testing, and an unveiling next year or late this one is expected.
Rumours are it will be powered by 6.2-litre 500-horsepower LT1 in base trim, with a 600-hp, twinturbo 800-hp and hybrid 1,000-hp version also possible.