A handful of Chevrolet Corvette prototypes were recently caught on camera testing in Colorado, giving us a closer look at what could be an upcoming ZR1 trim.
The spy video, published by Frim Autos on YouTube, shows a gaggle of heavily camouflaged Corvettes leaving a parking lot, likely for high-altitude testing. While the cars’ bodies are shrouded, we can see four center-mounted exhaust exits on all of them, just like the design found on the current Z06. At least one of the prototypes is sporting a Z07 package high-downforce wing out back.
From the sounds coming from the exhaust, it seems like these cars are using 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V-8 found in the Z06. While Chevy has yet to make an official announcement regarding the ZR1’s existence, that car is expected to arrive with a twin-turbo version of this motor, making at least 850 hp. Other rumors suggest the engine could be paired to the electric front axle drivetrain found in the hybridized Corvette E-Ray.
Interestingly, the test cars are joined by an uncamouflaged Z06 as they venture out from the parking lot, suggesting there could be some sort of benchmarking or comparison going on between the two trims.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen what looks like a ZR1 test mule. Back in April 2022 our spy photographers caught images of what looked like an aggressive Corvette mule testing in Michigan.
Brian Silvestro
Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
Keyword: Possible Corvette ZR1 Prototypes Are Roaming Around Colorado