Chevrolet Corvette EV, V8 concepts present two very different visions of the future

The only way you’ll be able to drive the Chevrolet Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo supercars is by popping on Gran Turismo 7 on your gaming console, but that doesn’t mean these two concepts are complete flights of fancy.

The two show cars debuted in the metal – not in pixels – at The Quail exhibition in California, as part of Monterey Car Week.

Chevrolet says its Corvette design team worked with Chevrolet performance engineers to create detailed blueprints for the chassis, drivetrain and aerodynamic features of both concepts so they can be raced digitally.

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“While not intended for production, the pair will serve as inspiration to inform Corvette design language for years to come,” said Chevrolet in its press release.

The CX is an all-wheel drive electric supercar. There’s an electric motor for each wheel, with four-wheel torque vectoring providing maximum grip. A 90kWh lithium-ion battery is mounted in the chassis for a low centre of gravity and “ideal” front-rear weight distribution.

Total system output is over 2000 horsepower (1491kW).

The racier CX.R VGT produces bang on 2000 horsepower, but it does so in a very different way.

There are three electric motors, not four, with one for each front wheel and a third incorporated into the eight-speed gearbox.

At the heart of the CX.R VGT, however – or at least quite literally nearby – is a high-revving V8 engine running on renewable e-fuel.

It’s a little V8, too: a 2.0-litre with twin turbochargers, outputting up to 671kW of power and revving to 15,000rpm. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The CX.R VGT is intended as an imagination of the future for Corvette GT racing, and is finished in a yellow and black colour scheme like Corvette GT race cars of the past 25 years.

It also features more prominent active aero features and a lower ride height than the CX concept, while inside there’s raw carbon-fibre weave used for the dashboard and more aggressive seats with suede-wrapped foam inserts.

Not that the CX concept is a wallflower, with a dramatic opening canopy inspired by fighter jets. Once opened, there’s a bright Inferno Red interior with silicone leather, milled aluminium and low-gloss forged carbon-fibre trim used throughout.

Outside, there’s an active front diffuser and rear wing, along with other elements intended to aid aerodynamics.

The Vacuum Fan System uses built-in fans to draw air through the open-channel bodywork to generate “massive” downforce, while the suspension A-arms are wing-shaped to aid airflow and reduce front-end lift.

Chevrolet says the CX was shaped in collaboration with the GM Motorsports Aero Group, and despite the various wild design elements, it was designed to be identifiably a Corvette.

That includes the “forward-lunging nose”, sleek silhouette, dual-element tail lights, and pronounced horizontal crease that have come to be expected of Corvettes.

“While the shape of a Corvette has always been expressive and forward-looking, each crease and line has its roots in the generations that came before it. It is aspirational, it is cultural, it is the reason people want to come and work at Chevrolet,” said Chevrolet executive design director Phil Zak.

“The CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo demonstrate our design teams stepping away from the constraints of production vehicles and unleashing their creativity. Through this exercise, we’ve added to Corvette and defined the design direction for Corvette moving forward.”

Chevrolet has been busily showing off an array of Corvettes created by its various design centres, two of which have been electric vehicles (EVs).

However, General Motors says it won’t build a production electric Chevrolet Corvette “just to do it”, with GM Performance lead engineer Tony Roma pouring cold water on the prospect of an electric version of the iconic sports car in the short term.

“We talk about what it would take to make a capable enough car, but right now it’s still science fiction,” Mr Roma told Autocar.

“And so that’s our challenge – to come up with something different, that something engaging.

“When you’re buying a car like a Corvette, why are you buying it? You’re buying it because you want something special. You want to be engaged in the art of driving.

“And so, when we can figure out how to do that, and as we put more electrification in the car, we will, but we’re not going to do an electric version of this car just to do it. That would defeat the entire purpose.”

In addition to being the first generation of Corvette with a mid-engine layout and available all-wheel drive, the current C8 was the first to include electrification. The E-Ray and ZR1X both feature a front-mounted electric motor.

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