In a recent episode of Americarna on the Velocity channel, Ray Evernham has a quick chat with Ed Welburn, global vice president of design for General Motors,->ke1024 to see some of what it takes to bring vehicle design concepts to the real world. The clip is remarkable in that it shows the inner workings of how GM develops its future cars and concept vehicles, but if you look close, there might also be a few sneak peeks to enjoy.
First, Welburn shows a full-scale clay model of what looks to be a small crossover, and the interesting part of this is that you can just barely make out the existence of a Chevrolet->ke199 bowtie on the wheels. It would appear that this model is inspired by a sketch – some of which can be seen on the wall at around the 1:17 mark. Could this be the next-gen Chevy Equinox?->ke1784
The true highlight of the video comes when Welburn gets to designer Christine Park, who says she’s working on the design of a “Chevy sports car.” There are a few different vehicle designs visible on her computer monitor, but the one that sticks out the most is the yellow vehicle wearing the signature crossed flag emblem of the Corvette on its nose. The short nose and vented hood could very well be the oft-rumored, mid-engined Corvette named “Zora.” Of course, the Corvette's chief engineer, Tadge Juechter, recently denied rumored of this car's existence.
Continue reading to learn more about the Chevrolet Corvette "Zora" ZR1.
Why it matters
With the cameras rolling in what has to be one of the most secret locations in GM, there’s no way that these images were accidentally captured by the film crew, and they give a good look at potential future vehicle designs. The crossover could be more relevant in that it has made it far enough into the design process to warrant the clay model, but with rumors running rampant about a super-Corvette looming in Chevrolet’s future, the sketches are far more exciting.
