This Corvette Show Car Could Preview The First Electric ’Vette

It’s hard to believe it’s been five whole years since the C8 Corvette entered production. The mid-engined shot heard ’round the world as a thorough reimagining of America’s sports car in the vision of Corvette godfather Zora Arkus Duntov is still putting down big numbers, but GM’s already working on a replacement. This isn’t it. Instead, this Corvette Concept from GM’s new UK-based styling studio is a show car in the purest sense of the term, no concessions to production, no change-a-few-things-and-that’s-basically-it. However, some of its influence might be felt in the next-generation Corvette.

On first glance, there’s a dramatic split between the more traditionally styled upper surfaces and the heavy aero channeling of the lower body, a bit like an Aston Martin Valkyrie or Ferrari F80, only more extreme. We’ll get back to the top side of this Corvette concept in a bit, but the philosophy of extensive Venturi tunnels and a heavily sculpted floor should offer a blend between huge downforce and clean upper surfaces at the expense of cabin space.

That being said, the upper surfaces of this show car have an appeal all their own. Without a fixed rear wing, the resulting curves drape over the chassis like a tablecloth, all while conveying some classic Corvette styling tropes. The split rear window from the 1963 model makes a reappearance here, along with a split windscreen necessitated by a fanciful floating canopy with wraparound windows. Like I said, show car, not an exact preview of what’s to come. The bulging fenders also have a whiff of C2 to them, rising above the bottom of the greenhouse.

Taking a closer look at this show car, you can’t help but notice relatively few heat exchangers and absent exhaust tips. Were they just omitted for show car purposes? Not quite. GM claims this concept features “EV battery technology embedded into the structure,” and while the prospect of an electric Corvette sounds sacrilegious, the electrification of the Corvette E-Ray hybrid might just be a glimpse of things to come.

I worry about the concept of an electric Corvette, because ever since 1955, the Corvette has almost always been a very engine-focused experience. Contrast the roar of a high-compression small-block in an early C3 against the flat-six thrum of a late-’60s Porsche 911, the sheer headroom of the LS1 in the C5 Corvette against the difficulty of making an early Boxster quick in a straight line, and the banshee wail of a brand new Corvette Z06 against the supercharged Camry soundtrack of a Lotus Emira. Short of the 1985 to 1988 C4 with the Z51 package, a driver’s car so thoroughly dominant it was banned from SCCA showroom stock racing and corralled into its own one-make series, the Corvette has largely been a car you buy for V8 power in a sports car, rather than one that’s simply the best at any sub-Ferrari budget.

Taking away the V8 would plunge the Corvette into a brave new world, one where sedans like the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and Lucid Air Sapphire are some of the quickest cars on the planet regardless of body style. With many tracks having restrictions on electrified vehicles and 5-to-60 mph being the metric most consumers gauge everyday performance by, would an electric Corvette have much of a market? Answers on a postcard, please.

On the plus side, if this Corvette show car doesn’t tickle your fancy, don’t worry, more are on the way. As Michael Simcoe, GM’s VP of global design, stated in a media release, “As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year.” Honing in more, Autocar reports that this is the first of three individual studio prototypes, and all are expected to “influence a single, final show car that will be unveiled in the second half of this year.” If that final show car is anything like the 2009 Stingray concept, expect it to influence the next-generation Corvette. With such a tight timeline to the expected reveal, it wouldn’t be surprising if that car’s already completed, so we’ll be watching for it very closely.

Top graphic credit: GM

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