Earlier this week, we got our very-first look at the new C8 Corvette ZR1, with GM Authority spy photographers capturing the upcoming sports car prowling around as a camo-clad prototype. Naturally, all of that camouflage is in place to help obscure the ZR1’s unique styling bits, but even so, there are still several interesting details to pick through with the new photos. Among them are the rollers, as the C8 Corvette ZR1 looks poised to introduce a new wheel design.
Although the wheels on this C8 Corvette ZR1 prototype are hidden behind large camo discs, we can still make out a five-lug layout and star-pattern spoke design. In addition, the wheels look as though they are wrapped in ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R rubber, while tire sizing appears as though it’s the same as that of the C8 Corvette Z06, measuring in at 275/30ZR20 in front and 345/25/ZR21 in the rear.
Of course, the question remains – what will the C8 Corvette ZR1 wheels actually look like? In a recent video, one YouTuber claims to have leaked the wheel design ahead of the sports car’s official reveal, showing a technical, multi-spoke layout with star-shaped outer spokes and Y-shaped inner spokes. The leaked image shows the wheel in a dark finish, while the iconic Chevy Corvette Crossed Flag emblem is seen on the center cap.
While the leaked wheel design certainly looks quite a lot like the camouflaged roller equipped by the C8 Corvette ZR1 prototype spied earlier this week, it’s actually not a perfect match, with a subtle difference seen in the design around the lug nuts. As such, it’s possible that these leaked wheels may or may not be the ZR1’s new rollers.
As for the greasy bits, the C8 Corvette ZR1 will cradle the turbocharged 5.5 L V8 LT7 gasoline engine, which is essentially a twin-turbocharged variant of the 5.5L V8 LT6 that powers the C8 Corvette Z06. The new LT7 is estimated to produce a maximum of 800 horsepower and 750 pound-feet of torque.
Stay tuned as we bring you more juicy tidbits on the new C8 Corvette ZR1, and remember to subscribe to GM Authority for more mid-engine Corvette news, Corvette C8 news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Nice rim , ca t wait to see the price . Considering the price of the Z06, this should be in the 800 hp range as the zora will be 1000 hp thereabouts .
I can only imagine the wait time on this. We’re talking years.
2025 for the ZR1 (on sale in late 24), 27 for the Zora (on sale late ’26) and ’30 for C9 (on sale late ’29) Put your reservations in now!
A fully loaded ZR1 is going to be well over $200 grand and the Zorra will be close to 250k which will price them out of the general public and white collar guys hands like myself so much for gm being a working man’s car, been a life long gm guy myself but even the dealers are POS .
That’s why they’ll be keeping the Stingray priced well below $100K, but GM can’t resist a car that costs them maybe $10-20K more to build bringing in double that in profit, not to mention prestige and publicity.
As GM legendary Chairman Alfred P. Sloan said, “we’re not in business to make cars, it’s to make money.”
Looks pretty close to me….
Ah yes, it’s that time in the C8’s history where more and exciting changes will now become available to those who are more speculators in the market than true lovers of the breed. Same thing with all of the other high end Super Cars, those who have the gold can purchase and speculate what the vehicle will sell for and with no consideration what the actual MSRP will be as it’ll make no difference, those well heeled will pay the price and then…sit on there hands and speculate how high the value will increase to and then at some point in time, “sell, sell, sell” and, more money is set aside for the next big purchase.
I suppose there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, if it’s done legally, then more power to those who have the ready cash to play this game, for the rest of us “Corvette Aficionado’s” who’d merely love to own such a beast for the sake of it’s pure driving enjoyment, well…too bad, maybe better luck finding something less, hummm, exotic, say just a mundane, every day, run of the mill C8 Z06. Yep, I’m sure there will be a few for sale on “The Net” after this bad boy ZR-1 hits the scene. I doubt you’ll see these in any Chevy Dealers showroom, way too “out there” except perhaps for a Chevy Dealer with the name “Rick Hendrick” on it, but then again, you never know. Anyway, it’ll be fun watching the “speculators” foaming at the mouth waiting for their turn to spend the gold in their piggy bank’s and for the few of these people, an actual chance to not only own but to drive and enjoy Chevy’s latest iteration of the Mighty C8 Corvette! I can hardly wait.