This wild-looking Corvette CX concept is the latest and last design exercise by GM's global studios, following the U.K.-penned Corvette and the California Corvette.
The electric CX has a fighter-jet-style lift-off roof, a fan system that suctions it to the ground, and a 2000-plus-hp quad-motor all-wheel-drive system.
The Michigan-based design team also created the CX.R Vision Gran Turismo race car, which has a hybrid twin-turbo V-8 and rear-wheel drive and will be playable in the Gran Turismo 7 video game.
Have you ever wondered what it would look like if a Chevy Corvette had a baby with a fighter jet? Well, you can stop wondering, because one of GM's design studios has brought that mechanical mashup to life with the Corvette CX concept. It features a power-operated lift-off roof that's more like something you'd see on an aircraft carrier's flight deck than in a Chevrolet showroom.
The CX Is a Crazy Corvette
The CX is the latest and last Corvette concept to debut this year, this time at the prestigious Monterey Car Week. It's part of a design exercise that involves several GM studios around the globe, from a low-slung Corvette penned by designers in the United Kingdom to an aero-optimized two-tone Vette that came from a studio in California. While none of these one-off concepts are intended to become a reality, we're told that they will be used to influence future versions of America's sports car.
The Corvette CX was dreamed up and built by the team at the Chevrolet Performance Studio in Warren, Michigan. Along with creating the craziest Corvette concept yet, the design brief was simple: make the most exhilarating driving experience, regardless of whether you're on public roads or a racetrack. Oh, and make sure it remains recognizable as a Chevy Corvette. The latter details include a pointy nose that looks like it's lunging forward, and there's a "chine" line—an aeronautical term—that visually separates the body's upper and lower halves. And don't forget the quad-taillight setup.
With prominent character traits checked off the list, the CX design team was able to make this Corvette concept look like something Maverick from Top Gun would drive. That starts with the roof section that automatically opens as the driver approaches (hopefully they don't get caught outside in a torrential downpour, but we digress). Chevy says there are 41 inches between the ground and the top of the concept's roof, which is just under nine inches lower than your accountant's C8 Corvette Stingray. Unlike the real-life car, there's clearly nowhere to store a set of golf clubs, unless you get creative and stuff them in the passenger seat.
With the top suspended in the air, it reminds us of past Corvette generations that featured a front-hinged hood. Only, instead of exposing a small-block V-8, there's an Inferno Red interior that houses two seats that wouldn't look out of place in a racy spacecraft. You'll also notice a lack of screens, save for the PSP-like unit in the middle of the yoke-style steering wheel, which also features physical controls. The windshield also acts like a humongous head-up display, surrounding the driver with real-time performance data.
By now, you might be wondering where the V-8 engine is hiding. We hate to burst your bubble, but if you haven't yet figured it out, the CX concept is an EV. While it has zero cylinders, four electric motors combine to send over 2000 horsepower to all the wheels. The juice comes from a 90-kWh battery pack that's built into the chassis. Parts of the Vette's structure are also visible through its sci-fi bodywork, so you can see its wing-shaped control arms, for instance.
This Corvette concept is also a master manipulator—of airflow, that is. The bottom half of the car has prominent air channels that exit through a vast rear diffuser, above which sits a deployable rear wing. Downforce is further maximized by the CX's suction system. Wait, what? You heard that right: the Corvette CX is a fan car like the McMurtry Spéirling. The Vette's vacuum system uses integrated fans to pull air through its body channeling, thus increasing downforce and grip.
The CX Concept's Surprise Guest
Because two Corvette concepts are better than one, GM's Warren-based design team also concocted a race car version of the CX to celebrate the 25-year-old Corvette Racing program. Called the CX.R Vision Gran Turismo, it has more aggressive aero elements (look at that Titanic-sized rear wing!), a lower ride height, and it's lighter too. It also has a black-and-yellow livery similar to the one that's been a staple of Corvette race cars for a quarter-century.
Inside, the seats have less cushioning but more support than the standard CX. The CX.R VGT also has more exposed carbon fiber, but what's most exciting is that the race car isn't an EV. It actually has a twin-turbo 2.0-liter V-8 that is mounted amidship. It has an F1-spec 15,000-rpm redline that culminates in up to 900 horsepower, though its combined output is 2000 ponies when the trio of electric motors pitches in to provide all-wheel drive. The CX.R also drinks renewable e-fuel because this isn't 1953.
Now, if you're feeling a bit bummed out because neither of these Corvette concepts is the real deal, chin up, pal. Both the roadgoing CX and CX.R concepts will be available to virtually drive in the Gran Turismo 7 video game later this month.
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