Quiet Riot

Part electric and part V-8, the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray's powertrain may have a split petsonallty, but this car is all about performance.

- David Beard

Corvette traditionalists, pour yourselves a drink and take a deep breath. Chevrolet's halo car has gone electric. We'll pause while you dry-heave.

You good? There's more. It's also all-wheel drive.

Take a beat. Breathe into a paper bag.

Sure, it's new and scary, but rest assured that the 2024 Corvette E-Ray's intentions are not to placate environmentalists or chase the trendiest new tech. Instead, this car is designed to do what the best Corvettes have always done: take performance to the next level.

Performance gains were immediate when Chevrolet made the switch to a mid-engine platform in the Corvette. Traction greatly increased with the bulk of the mass over the rear wheels. The Stingray and the Z06 are the quickest Corvettes since the nameplate arrived some 70 years ago. Relocating the engine also paved the way for the E-Ray, as the front motor otherwise would have no place to call home.

FILLING THE GAP 

When Chevrolet revealed the eighth-generation Corvette, chassis cutaways exposed Chevy's future intentions. An empty tunnel filled the space between the driver and the passenger. The center of the front subframe had unused threaded holes. Something was missing.