Hybrid Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is fastest ever iteration of legendary sports car
Hardly a little green Corvette, mind you
American car-maker Chevrolet has unveiled a new 655bhp version of its flagship Corvette sports car, and in a first for the legendary model it comes with a hybrid drivetrain.
The E-Ray arrives exactly 70 years to the day since the original Corvette made its motor show debut in New York. The latest incarnation is a thoroughly modern machine that includes a front-mounted 160bhp electric motor in addition to the new Corvette Stingray’s mid-mounted 6.2-litre 495bhp naturally-aspirated V8.
The net result of that power and torque (some 595lb ft in total) according to Chevrolet, is the fastest Corvette yet seen, with the ability to sprint from 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds or to run the quarter mile in 10.5 seconds — this is despite the fact that the E-Ray is less powerful than the track-focused Corvette Z06 model.
“Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on back roads and tracks, and [the] E-Ray nails it,” said Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer on the hybrid Corvette project.
“The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure.”
Although the Corvette E-Ray gets the same small-block V8 powerplant as its Stingray sibling, it receives the wider body of the Z06, with a few carbon-fibre accents to distinguish it from the rest of the family.
A 1.9kWh battery located between the front seats supplies enough energy to the small drive motor (in true American style is been reported as roughly the size of a 12-pack of beer) to allow the E-Ray an electric-only range of around five miles and a top speed of 45mph when in selectable “Stealth Mode”.
One of the biggest benefits of Stealth Mode, according to Chevrolet, is the ability for owners to exit their driveway and put some distance between themselves and home before the raucous V8 bursts into life, thereby avoiding annoying the neighbours.
Though the E-Ray is likely to be the most economical Corvette in the line-up, the hybrid system is geared towards performance rather than fuel economy, so Toyota Prius levels of parsimony are unlikely.
With US pricing for the E-Ray starting at $104,295 (£85,000 at current exchange rates), the hybrid Corvette is some $40,000 (£33,000) more expensive than the base Stingray model.
For that extra outlay, however, buyers do get a few things to justify the inflated price tag. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, as are all-season Michelin Pilot Sport tyres (20in in diameter at the front, 21in at the rear) and adaptive magnetorheological dampers.
There remains the fact, too, that the E-Ray is roughly as fast in a straight line as the Ferrari 296 GTB despite costing a third of the price.
Jeremy Clarkson’s review of the Ferrari 296 GTB hybrid is in — here’s what he reckons
Inside, the E-Ray is little changed from other Corvette models, with only the addition of extra displays on the instrument cluster and central infotainment screen pertaining to the hybrid system.
It isn’t entirely clear if or when the Corvette E-Ray will make it to the UK, but given that the Stingray is available in right-hand drive and is sold here, the arrival of the hybrid model could be on the cards.
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