Whether we like it more or less, electrification is also reaching the promised land to its greatest exponents, muscle cars. And we are talking specifically about the new Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, or what is the same, the HEV variant of the American sports car that, outraged or not, has become the fastest in its range being able to cover 0 to 100 in 2.5 seconds despite declaring 24 CV less than the Z06 variant and 845 CV less than a Bugatti Chiron.
And it is that Chevrolet has known how to play its cards well when it comes to electrifying its spoiled child, a car that was already in the crosshairs of many when it went from offering a front engine to a central one. Be that as it may, what is clear is that the new E-Ray is going to give a lot to talk aboutespecially since it is not a plug-in hybrid as some of its most direct rivals are, making it clear that the move to the electric muscle car is going at a different pace to the across the pond.
Few cosmetic changes for the fastest Corvette in history
But before getting involved in the task of talking about its mechanical section, it is necessary to talk about the fact that, despite being the fastest variant of the Chevrolet Corvette, cosmetic changes are rather modest. Beyond some distinctive emblems on the outside, the E-Ray boasts exhaust tips finished in black, some specific 20-inch five-spoke wheels -in option they can be carbon fiber-, colors typical of this variant like the Electric Blue and that it is 90 millimeters wider than a Corvette Stingray.
The same tone is breathed inside, where we only find the difference between the Charge + button, the control to activate and deactivate the Start/Stop and specific menus for managing the electrical section. But the real high point of the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray lies in its set-up, where the most basic engine has managed to unseat the titanic Z06.
And it is that the E-Ray takes as its starting point a 6.2-liter atmospheric V8 that, by itself, declares 495 CV of power and 637 Nm of torque. But thanks to the presence of an electric motor of 160 CV and 170 Nm of torque, the American sports car stops producing a whopping 655 CV, a figure that is managed by means of an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. and that allows you to strike from 0 to 100 in just 2.5 secondsthat is, one tenth more than a Bugatti Chiron.
All this is possible thanks to the presence of a small 1.9 kWh battery provided by LG and sits just behind the rear seats. This allows the Corvette E-Ray to circulate in electric mode up to 72 km/h, although it has not provided autonomy, we can intuit that it will not be much. Although yes, the Corvette will be able to endure more time moving with half the cylinders active than the conventional Stingray thanks to the presence of this electrical section.
And if the weight is something that could worry you when it is an electrified Chevrolet Corvette do not suffer, since this declares on the scale 1,712 kilos, that is, 182 kilos less than a C8 access. This is also helped by carbon-ceramic brakes that come standard, as well as Magnetic Ride Control that provides three levels of adjustment.