2026 Chevrolet Corvette Zora Spotted: C8 Hybrid Flagship Rides Through the Ring in New Video

If you thought the 1,064-hp 2025 Corvette ZR1 was the end of the performance road for the C8-generation Corvette, you were wrong.

Chevrolet has plans to take the American sports car into hypercar territory, and its new hybrid flagship will likely be called Zora, a trademark General Motors has worked hard to protect.

The latest spy shots and videos show what appears to be the new Corvette Zora in the making, and it already looks very fast as it races around the Nürburgring race track in Germany.

There are four camouflaged prototypes in total, and while they look similar to the recently unveiled ZR1, there are several clues that point to it being a Zora. The biggest clue is a yellow sticker on the rear window/engine cover, which is required in some countries for testing electrified vehicles.

Another difference is the absence of the ZR1's split rear windshield. The latest prototype uses the C8's normal design. Also, the odd-looking exhaust tips are temporary mufflers that the prototype was fitted with to meet the noise requirements of the Nürburgring.

A more advanced prototype should feature design changes planned for the Zora, including the possibility of a new aerodynamics package.

Chevrolet has not mentioned plans for the Zora, but rumors suggest the car will combine the ZR1's mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 with a front-mounted electric motor from the Corvette E-Ray The E-Ray's 1.9 kilowatt-hour battery pack, which is mounted in the center tunnel and weighs about 100 pounds on its own, should be mounted in the Zora.

The electric motors are rated at 160 hp in the E-Ray and could bring the total output to about 1,200 hp in the Zora; given that the E-Ray's total output is 655 hp and 2.5 seconds from rest to 60 mph, it could be reduced to about 2 seconds in the Zora Potential.

The Zora's launch date is unknown. Its debut is expected next year, and it may appear as a 2026 model in the US, but it could be delayed to 2027.

If the name Zora means anything to you, you are probably a Chevrolet Corvette fan. The name comes from Chevrolet engineer Zora Alks-Duntov, who is often labeled the “father of the Corvette.” While he did not create the Corvette, he is credited with turning it from a boulevard cruiser into something closer to a sports car. For example, it was his decision to install a V-8 engine in 1955.

Zola was also a big fan of motorsports and worked his magic on the Grand Sport program that put the C2 generation Corvettes in racing action. It was here that he saw the need for a mid-engine layout and convinced General Motors to build a mid-engine concept for testing.