Born Zachar Arkus, the man known to history as Zachary Arkus-Duntov was instrumental in the evolution of the Corvette from a Euro-inspired convertible to a proper sports car that saw much success on the world's racetracks. The American engineer of Russian descent isn't the mastermind behind the Corvette, but had it not been for Zora, the C1 wouldn't have received a small-block V8.
Arkus-Duntov became fascinated with mid-engine designs in the 1950s, which explains why he is credited for the 4.6-liter CERV I and the 6.2-liter CERV II. There was a slim chance for the C4 to receive a midship layout, but due to the energy crises of the 1970s, the bigwigs at GM could not make Zora's wish come true. Arkus-Duntov threw in the towel in frustration, leaving the biggest firm of the Detroit Big Three in 1975.
Zora died in 1996 aged 86, but his legacy is embodied by the C8 generation of the Chevrolet Corvette. There is hearsay according to which General Motors will use Zora as the name of the most badass C8 of them all, hearsay that appears to hold water in terms of intellectual property.
GM received the rights to use Zora from the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2014, then reregistered this moniker in 2018, followed by another filing back in 2022. Closer to the present day, General Motors also registered Zora with the Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial in June 2024. Attached below, the mark will be used for class 12 goods, which comprises motor vehicles and structural parts.
Not exactly a coincidence, the USPTO filing is for class 12 goods as well. Could this mean that General Motors will indeed use Zora for the 1,000-horsepower Corvette C8 that everyone and their dog is looking forward to? Nobody except peeps in and close to the C8 knows for certain, but it sure looks as if GM made up its mind.
Photo: Baldauf / USPTO / edited
According to a supposedly leaked release date schedule published by the folks at Hagerty back in April 2022, the E-Ray was supposed to come out for the 2023 model year as the Grand Sport. The cited publication's document further indicates 2024 as the model year of the soon-to-be-revealed ZR1, which has been confirmed by General Motors as a 2025 model. It will debut on July 25, with production believed to kick off by the end of 2024. The start of regular production for the 2025 Corvette is September 9, 2024.
Finally, the document in question shows the Zora coming for model year 2025 with 1,000 horsepower and 975 pound-feet (1,322 Nm) of tire-shredding torque as opposed to 850 horsepower and 825 pound-feet (1,119 Nm) for the ZR1. Considering that said release schedule didn't get the max power outputs right for the Z06 (600 instead of 670) and the E-Ray (600 instead of 655), you shouldn't take the numbers for the ZR1 and Zora without a small pinch of salt.
GM was recently spotted testing ZR1-like prototypes together with a Ferrari SF90, whose twin-turbo V8 is joined by three electric drive motors. Although it's nigh-on impossible to determine if those were Zora prototypes, remember that SF90 makes 986 horsepower.
Pretty close to the purported 1,000 horsepower of the Zora, indeed! As you might have already guessed, the forthcoming Chevrolet Corvette Zora is a combination of ZR1 twin-turbo V8 muscle and E-Ray for the hybrid side of the powertrain. Still, it remains to be seen whether only a front-mounted electric motor instead of two for the front axle and one for the rear wheels will suffice.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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