DETROIT — The fastest Corvette ever made comes out later this year, and it’s not powered solely by a howling V8.
The E-Ray is a gas electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of Chevrolet’s storied sports car with the front wheels running on an electric motor, the traditional 6.2-liter V8 powering the back.
Aimed at affluent buyers who want new technology in the top-line Chevrolet sports car, the $104,000 E-Ray jerks your head back as it goes from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. General Motors says it can cover a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds.
Although those figures are slightly faster than its race track-ready brothers, the Z06 and Z07, it’s civil enough for the daily commute even though its rear tires are almost wide enough to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Tadge Juechter, the Corvette’s executive chief engineer, said people would ask for the best version of the car, only to wind up a “track monster” that they’re trying to drive every day. “For the same money you can get all-wheel-drive, and comfort, security, and the livability that comes with a car like this,” he said. “We’ve really divided the family into pure track and to everyday utility.”
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The E-Ray, which is being unveiled exactly 70 years after the first Corvette was introduced in New York back in 1953, is a step toward an all-electric version of the car that will come out at at unspecified date.
Although GM may be over-selling the practicality, the E-Ray does come with all-season tires so it can be driven year-round.
Unlike most hybrids, it’s not really made for efficiency, although will get a little better city mileage than a standard Stingray at 16 mpg. But because of higher mass and air drag, it will do worse than the standard Corvette’s 24 mpg on the highway.
