2026 Chevrolet Corvette Zora spied: C8’s new hybrid flagship

If you thought the 2025 Corvette ZR1 with its 1,064 hp was the end of the performance road for the C8-generation Corvette, then you’d be wrong.

Chevy has a plan to take America’s sports car into hypercar territory with a new hybrid flagship likely to be called Zora, a trademark General Motors has made efforts to protect.

Our latest spy shots show what’s likely to be the new Corvette Zora in the making.

Although the camouflaged prototypes in the photos resemble the recently launched ZR1, a couple of clues point to it being the Zora. The biggest giveaway is the yellow sticker on the rear window, which is a requirement in some countries for testing of electrified vehicles.

2026 Chevrolet Corvette Zora spy shots – Photo via Baldauf

Another difference is the ZR1’s missing split rear windshield. The latest prototypes feature the C8’s regular design. And those odd-looking exhaust tips are temporary mufflers fitted to ensure the prototypes meet Nürburgring noise requirements.

More advancements prototypes should feature design changes pegged for the Zora, including potentially a new aerodynamics package.

While Chevy hasn’t mentioned plans for a Zora, the rumor mill points to the car combining the ZR1’s mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 with the front-mounted electric motor from the Corvette E-Ray. The E-Ray’s 1.9-kwh battery pack, mounted in the center tunnel and weighing about 100 pounds on its own, should also be fitted in the Zora.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray

The electric motor is rated at 160 hp in the E-Ray, and in the Zora could potentially take combined output to around 1,200 hp, while providing extra traction and helping overall efficiency. Considering the E-Ray with its combined 655 hp already sprints to 60 mph from rest in 2.5 seconds, the Zora may get things down to around two seconds flat.

Timing for the Zora’s release is uncertain. A debut next year is expected, meaning the car may arrive as a 2026 model in the U.S. though it may also be pushed back to 2027.

Zora Arkus-Duntov with a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette

If the name Zora means anything to you, you’re probably a fan of the Chevrolet Corvette. The name comes from Chevy engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, who is often labeled as the “father of the Corvette.” While he didn’t create the car, he is credited with turning it from a boulevard cruiser into something approximating a proper sports car. It was his decision to drop a V-8 into the original car back in 1955, for example.

Zora was also huge fan of motorsports, and worked his magic on the Grand Sport program that took the C2-generation Corvette racing. It’s here where he saw the need for a mid-engine layout, which led to him convincing General Motors to build mid-engine concepts for testing purposes, the first being the CERV (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) concept rolled out in 1960.