Corvette ZR1 Launch Postponed Until August

Chevrolet’s Range-Topping Corvette ZR1 Has a New Launch Date

The new Corvette ZR1 is apparently getting its public release date pushed back until August of 2017, a full seven months after initial expectations.

Speculation pointed to a Detroit-based NAIAS launch last week. But that has come and gone with no sign of the ZR1. Then we heard rumors of the super-‘Vette launching alongside the 2017 iteration of Corvette Racing’s C7.R, at the 24 hours of Daytona later this month. Even those rumors seem to have jumped the gun a bit, though. According to a Car & Driver report, the car will finally show up at the Road America round of the IMSA championship.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About the ZR1

The car pictured above has been spied testing for nearly a year now, each time looking ever-more racy. With a giant wing and motorsport-influenced bodywork, the ZR1 Corvette appears to be a take-no-prisoners, trackday special. Perhaps even an instant classic. Furthermore, the new ZR1 will likely feature a high-revving DOHC naturally aspirated V8 called LT5. It harkens back to the original C4-generation ZR1.

Car & Driver’s sources indicate that while the car’s first appearance to the public has been delayed, the project itself is still on schedule for late 2017 dealership deliveries as a 2018 model year. This project is likely to be the last hurrah for the C7 generation. The C7 is potentially going to be phased out in late 2018, when the 2019 model launches. The C8 Corvette has also been spied testing, and likely will show up one year from now at the 2018 North American International Auto Show.

Via [Motor Authority, Car & Driver]