Corvette ZR1 Probably Won’t Be Showing Up at NAIAS
Corvette ZR1 Snubs Snowy Hometown Auto Show, Possibly Heading South For The Winter
We’ve seen some pre-production track-special Corvettes driving around lately, which we can only assume to be the new C7 ZR1. Since this car came upon our radar, we’ve expected GM to launch its new super Corvette at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. But perhaps not.
Detroit is GM’s home-court auto show. It makes sense for them to launch such a car just down the street from their headquarters. According to GM Authority, however, there will not be any new Corvette variants showing up at the Detroit show. While we’re looking forward to seeing this car in production sheet metal and solid paint, we suppose that anything this good is worth the wait.
The car we assume will be the 2018 Corvette ZR1 is likely to carry Chevy’s new DOHC 6.2 liter “LT5” V8. It also appears to have some seriously track-oriented aero. It is possible that this will be Chevrolet’s answer to the now-discontinued Viper ACR, or the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. That really gets our engine running! This could be the single coolest Corvette variant yet, so we’ll just have to be patient. Let’s just wait for when GM decides the time is right for the car to make its public appearance. Whenever that might be.
We have heard an interesting rumor, however, that this ZR1 variant might actually be prepped for a Florida debut later in January, coinciding with the famed Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Being that the Daytona 24 is Corvette Racing’s blue ribbon event in North America, and they’re the defending champions of the race from a year ago, it would make some sense for them to commit to a big launch at the Florida endurance race. If the car does end up being a street-legal track-day special, as we assume, then the connection between Chevrolet’s GTLM class C7.R and this ZR1 would be even more obvious. We’ll just have to wait and see.
People are already discussing this one on the forum, so head on over to add your two cents.
Via [Jalopnik, GM Authority]
