Chevrolet has unveiled its most powerful American-made production car, the Corvette ZR1X. The car comes with a 1,250-horsepower twin-turbocharged hybrid powertrain. Many expected this very special Corvette to be named 'Zora'. But that didn't happen, and it got the name ZR1X as an alphanumeric designation.
The name 'Zora' actually comes from one person: Corvette development engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov. He is known as the "Father of the Corvette." He had envisioned a mid-engine version of this American sports car decades ago. Even during the C8 testing, there was talk that Chevrolet would use the name 'Zora' for a particular top-end model, just like Ferrari uses' Enzo 'for its flagship supercar. From Arkus-Duntov's early efforts and Chevrolet's many recalls of him, it seemed that the most powerful 'Vette' would be called 'Zora'.
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However, an anonymous Chevy source told Road & Track that the name ZR1X has no deeper meaning. It simply states that it is a modified version of the existing Corvette ZR1. The source clarified that the 'X' does not mean AWD or Xtreme. The Chevrolet team felt that the Corvette was worthy of the ZR1 designation.
Their intention was to show that even though the ZR1 and ZR1X are different cars, they have a "strong family resemblance" and they both show ultimate Corvette performance. A Chevrolet spokesperson also told CarBuzz, "We wanted to keep it close to the ZR1 family. They were developed together. Both cars feature a twin-turbocharged 5.5 -liter DOHC V8 engine, the same as the ZR1.
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GM may be saving the Zora name for another particular Corvette in the future. Arkus-Duntov was very involved in racing. In such a case, a street version of a racing-based Corvette or a track-only Corvette Zora may be more appropriate for this name. Chevrolet has not commented on the future use of Zora. But his stance leaves room for speculation. For now, the Corvette ZR1X is the most powerful American production car, and we have to be content with that.
Source: Road & Track
