The long-awaited and highly anticipated debut of the mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette C8 is fast approaching. As we count down the days to July 18, the fine folks from Corvette Forum decided to create a rendering depicting what the ZR1 version of the new mid-engine ‘Vette could look like once it hits the market, hopefully, in the near future. As you can see, the rendering speaks for itself. It’s bold, brash, and downright incredible. Not that Chevrolet’s going to present the Corvette C8 ZR1 exactly like this, but if this is what’s in store for all of us, then Ford might have to step up its game. This is what a mid-engine American supercar should look like.
2020 Chevy C8 Corvette ZR1 Rendering
To be clear, we still don’t know what the mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette C8 looks like so this really is a rendering on top of a rendering. The actual Corvette C8 could look totally different so don’t put all your eggs on this rendering’s basket. You might be setting yourself up for a little disappointment. Having said all of that, I find myself struggling to even come up with the right words to describe what Corvette Forum’s rendering of the Corvette C8 ZR1 looks like. In one word? Wow.
The renderings cover all sides of the ‘Vette C8 ZR1, and I’ve looked at all the images from all different angles multiple times already. I can’t see a single design flaw. It’s that impressive. Take the front section, for example. We know, at least based on spy shots of a heavily camouflaged model, that the mid-engine Corvette C8 will have one of the sharpest noses among all cars in the industry. It’s good to see the rendering adopting that aggressive look. Not only that, but the hood also receives what looks like a rear-facing outlet, which should help improve the flow of air from the nose to the rear of the vehicle. Down below, you’ll see that the Corvette C8 ZR1 comes with bigger intakes and bigger canards in the corners. None of those, though, scream for attention as much as that obscenely enormous front splitter. Seriously, that’s the kind of front splitter you normally see from actual supercar companies or aftermarket tuners, not an automaker like Chevrolet. I understand that the splitter is there for aerodynamic reasons — big ones like this generally carve out the air a lot faster than smaller ones — but it might as well be there, too, to further enhance what already looks like a menacing supercar. Lord have mercy.
Move to the side, and you can tell that the folks behind these renders took liberties in emphasizing the Corvette C8’s ZR1’s character lines.
While I don’t subscribe to the narrative that the Corvette C8 ZR1 should look like a Lamborghini for the sake of looking like a Lamborghini, I find myself actually rooting for the Corvette C8 ZR to look exactly like this rendering. Use the same color combination — yellow and black is a timeless Chevy colorway — and you have a supercar that can give the Ferraris and McLarens of the world something to seriously think about. I’m throwing Ford into the mix here, too. The Blue Oval’s most aggressive-looking model is, justifiably, the GT supercar. It looks incredible in its own right, and it has a more timeless appeal to it, but when you line it up next to this rendering of the Corvette C8 ZR1, it looks like it just got its lunch stolen by the Chevy.
Further Reading
Read all about the mid-engined Corvette concepts that never made it to production!
Read our speculative review of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Zora ZR1
Read our full review of the 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1
Read up on the 1953-1962 Chevy C1 Corvette
Check out our review of the 1963-1968 Chevy C2 Corvette
Read our in-depth review of the 1969 Chevy Corvette 427 C3
Read up on our review of the 1997-2004 Chevy C5 Corvette}
Read up on the 2005-2013 Chevy C6 Corvette
Check out our full review of the 2014-2019 Chevy C7 Corvette
The 9 concepts that led to the mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette C8