Why Didn't Chevy Name the Ultimate C8 Corvette 'Zora?' We Asked GM to Find Out.
The ultimate production Corvette is officially here, and it's called the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. Speaking of... how about that name?
If you've ever gone into the Corvette forums or spend any amount of time looking at preview posts for this hybridized ZR1, and you're likely to come across the name 'Zora' being commonly used as a reference to this car. Those familiar with the Corvette story know the name refers to a man, Zora Arkus-Duntov — the engineer responsible for turning the Corvette into a genuine sports car. You can read all about that history here, but at a high level, all you need to know is that he championed the idea of a mid-engine Corvette.
With the C8 finally making the front-to-mid transition, many thought GM might honor Zora by naming the ultimate version of the C8 after him. (Not to mention 'Zora' is a pretty sweet name for a car.) But now, the final piece of the C8 performance puzzle is in place — and Chevy named it the ZR1X. We asked why, and a Chevrolet spokesperson provided the details.
'ZR1X is an extension of the ZR1 family, so we believe ZR1X is a fitting name for the new variant,' a spokesperson told Road & Track.
But why not Zora, we queried?
'I know Zora was broadly speculated by enthusiasts, but since it was future product, it was never something we weighed in on,' the same Chevy spokesperson told us. 'What I can tell you is the team felt this Corvette was deserving of the ZR1 designation, and it was an opportunity to show that even though ZR1 and ZR1X are different cars, they have strong familial resemblance and represent ultimate Corvette performance.'
When you dive into the details on the ZR1X, it makes sense. The X is essentially a ZR1 with beefed-up E-Ray hybrid components dropped in to add performance and make it all-wheel drive. Chevy isn't saying this, but maintaining the ZR1 designation ensures a 'greater' version of the Corvette doesn't minimize the herculean car that the ZR1 is. Like Chevy says, they're different cars, but both the ZR1 and ZR1X represent 'ultimate Corvette performance.'
What's the 'X' stand for, then? Upon seeing the name, our minds went directly to all-wheel drive references, or even as an abbreviation for 'Xtreme.' But nope — Chevy says there was 'no grand scheme behind it,' and that it 'was about sticking close to ZR1.' In short, the X stands for nothing, officially. Consider X an unknown variable. (See what we did there?)
And if you're interested in the full deep dive on the new top-of-the-food-chain Corvette ZR1X, make sure to check out our reveal post here.
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