Back in the spring Chevrolet revealed an unexpected Corvette concept car dreamt up by its newly established UK design studio, and last month it showed off a second concept designed by the Californian team, both envisioning what an electric 'Vette could look like in the future. Now the bowtie brand is showing off the last car in the trio (quadruplet, really) at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, and you'll be able to drive it in "Gran Turismo 7."
Chevy unveiled both roadgoing and race car versions of the new concept, called Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo, respectively. They were designed and fabricated by the home team at the Chevrolet Performance Studio in Warren, Michigan, and the CX concepts are both more obviously Corvette-like and less outwardly futuristic than the previous two show cars were. Chevy's executive design director Phil Zak says his team was able to "step away from the constraints of production vehicles and unleash their creativity" with the CX concepts, but they don't look that far off of what a C9 Corvette could be a decade from now. At the very least, Zak says the CX "defines the design direction for Corvette moving forward."
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The Road Car
The CX has a 90-kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the chassis and an electric motor at each wheel for a total of over 2,000 horsepower. Chevy says this powertrain "was chosen to provide maximum design freedom" in addition to extreme performance aided by active aerodynamics and a vacuum fan system, which uses built-in fans that draw air through the bodywork, generating downforce and adjusting airflow to the rear end. Chevy doesn't say how long the CX is, but it's less than 41 inches tall.
Like the other two Corvettes the CX has a fighter jet–inspired greenhouse and an athletic, cab-forward stance. The Corvette signature "chine" line splitting the upper and lower body is present, continuing along the sides in a dramatic fashion, and it creates a pointy nose with slit headlights. Dual taillights are a recognizable Corvette feature, and the shape of the rear is awesome. There are deep aero channels along the lower body like on an Aston Martin Valkyrie that give you views through the car, where you can see things like the wing-shaped suspension A-arms that improve airflow and reduce lift. It's also got a gigantic diffuser, an active rear wing and a cool interpretation of an engine cover.
Open Sesame
Instead of having normal doors, the entire roof, hood and upper body panels are part of a one-piece canopy that automatically raises and tilts forward when you walk up to the CX. The interior has some distinctive Corvette elements, like the wraparound design for the dashboard and center console and the wing-shaped steering column, but there's not much in the way of creature comforts in here.
Almost everything inside is covered by a "ballistic textile" in Inferno Red, but there are accents made from low-gloss forged carbon fiber, milled aluminum and premium silicone leather. The fixed seats appear to be part of the structure itself, bolstered to keep you in place with integrated grab handles on the outer sections. The yoke-style steering wheel has a screen and a few knobs and buttons that control all the major functions, and the windshield is an "immersive surround display" that gives you real-time performance data.
The Race Car
Then there's the CX.R Vision Gran Turismo, which images what a racing version of the CX would look like — though Chevy doesn't come out and say as much, it sure looks like the CX's equivalent of the current Z06 GT3.R race car that competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship. It wears the Corvette's long-running yellow and black color scheme, which is well suited to the CX's styling. The CX.R has additional lights in the front end, different center-lock wheels and a huge fixed rear wing, among other aero tweaks. Its interior is even more track-ready, with more carbon trim and bigger, more supportive racing seats that have suede-wrapped foam padding.
Chevy says the CX.R's ride height is lowered and its weight is reduced compared to the normal CX, even though its powertrain is different. Where the roadgoing CX is a quad-motor EV, the CX.R has a mid-mounted, dual-overhead-cam, twin-turbo 2.0-liter V8 engine that has up to 900 horsepower and revs to 15,000 rpm. It's also got three electric motors, one for each front wheel and one inside the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. Total output is over 2,000 hp.
Raceable This Month (In A Video Game)
In addition to the physical concept cars that are on display at The Quail, you'll be able to race the CX and CX.R in the virtual world in "Gran Turismo 7" on PlayStation 5. Chevy's engineers worked with Polyphony Digital to make the virtual CXs as accurate as possible, using blueprints for the aerodynamics, chassis and drivetrain. Both versions of the CX will be available in the game later this month, with no word yet on if they'll be a free gift or if you'll have to purchase them with in-game credits (very likely the latter).
The current C8 generation of Corvette was first unveiled in 2019, and if it's anything like past Vettes, it'll remain on sale for at least a decade. Right now the 1,250-hp hybrid ZR1X is the top dog in the lineup, but Chevy's engineers surely won't stop there. When an actual next-generation Corvette arrives, likely at some point next decade, hopefully it'll be at least a little like the CX concept.
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