We love the 2015 Corvette. It’s a V-8-powered rocket ship, a rear-wheel-drive internal-combustion serenade, and a street-legal racecar->ke148 all bundled up in one tidy star-spangled package. For the money, not much can touch it on the track. And that’s exactly what makes it the perfect inspiration to step into the realm of race-only prototypes.

The destroyer-of-asphalt that sits before you is the Corvette Daytona Prototype. It competes in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship (TUSCC), a new racing series that’s the result of last year’s merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. 2014 was the inaugural season for the TUSCC, with the Corvette coming out on top in both the team championship and manufacturer’s championship. Riding the momentum of a victorious season, this bowtie bruiser just got a refreshed set of bodywork that imitates the swept back, brawny lines of the C7 Stingray. We’ll see all that new composite aero go to work soon as preparations and testing get under way for the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2015.

Chevrolet->ke199 has a long history of sports car->ke506 and prototype racing when it comes to its halo vehicle. With the new TUSCC series, it appears to be continuing that tradition in triumphant fashion. Can the Corvette hang on to the championship title? We’ll see as we move into 2015. For now, we’re content to give this prototype the nod as one of the sexiest race cars to hit an apex.

Click past the jump to read more about the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype By IMSA.

Exterior

While the hard bits under the skin are miles away from any production vehicle, the TUSCC designs its prototype spec around the idea that, exterior-wise, some manufacturers will want a race car that bears at least a passing resemblance to the showroom model. With that in mind, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype draws heavily from the C7 Stingray for design cues, with new styling that sees big changes over last year’s car.

Up front, we see a revised hood, headlights, and radiator air inlets, while the rear end employs a new window treatment and taillights. Alongside the enormous front splitter, rear wing, and rear diffuser, the new bodywork looks fantastic. We even like the slats that sit along the car’s flanks. Better yet, it all works in unison to create enormous amounts of downforce.

Interior

This is the office, where carbon panels, switches, and harnesses live in a harmonious blend of pure functionality. A quick-change driving position is essential to accommodate multiple drivers. A bucket seat, pedals, and a gear lever to blast between the cogs are the most important features of this interior, and even though drivers will spend a huge amount of time here during the endurance stints, amenities are relegated to a radio picking up only one station, broadcast from the paddock.

Drivetrain

Under the dapper body panels, the guts of this machine accommodate the TUSCC spec for the prototype class. The chassis uses a carbon-fiber monocoque and double-wishbone suspension, including push-rod-actuated coil springs over dampers. The mid-mounted motor is a Chevrolet, 5.5-liter, naturally aspirated V-8, while the transmission is a six-speed sequential gearbox. Weight must be kept over 2,275 pounds, and engine output is around 600 horsepower.

Competitors

Riley Mk XXVI Daytona Prototype

Backed by Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), this prototype sports a turbocharged, 3.5-liter, Ecoboost V-6, with hot shoes Scott Pruett and Joey Hand behind the wheel. The team finished fourth last year, with Ford coming in second for the engine manufacturer’s championship. No stranger to the track, CGR has its hand in a variety of racing series, including Indy and NASCAR. Challenging the Vettes will be difficult, but if anything can bring the fight, it’ll be the Riley Mk XXVI.

Lola B08/80

The underdog for the 2015 season, the Lola B08/80 is sponsored by SpeedSource Race Engineering Mazda and is powered by a turbocharged, 2.2-liter, SKYACTIV-D, inline-four, diesel engine. SpeedSource finished eighth last season, with Mazda coming in fourth among the engine manufacturers. SpeedSource will have two entries for 2015, with the No. 07 car driven by Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez, and the No. 70 car driven by Jonathan Bomarito and Tom Long. With an engine under 4.0-liters of displacement, the Mazda gets a fifty pound weight-cut advantage, and while every little bit helps, beating the Corvettes will be a tall order indeed.

Conclusion

The newest Corvette Daytona Prototype builds on past successes with a fresh look and an attitude for victory. We love how the styling alludes to the current Stingray, and with a 5.5-liter, Chevrolet V-8 engine soloing through the exhaust, it’ll sound right as well. Sure, it’s mid-mounted and the suspension is from the future, but who cares? That’s spec racing. You can still root for your favorite and invest those emotions. And if you just happen to have a bowtie parked out front, the 2015 TUSCC season is looking very bright indeed.