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The buzz of electricity—figuratively and literally—has swept through the world’s sports-car makers, and the C8 Corvette is about to feel the jolt. The C8 will soon join the many brands turning to electrons to power their hot cars. GM president Mark Reuss has just gone public with what we’ve known for some time: that a hybrid C8 Corvette will be here next year. What no one knew until Reuss revealed it in the same conversation with CNBC reporter Phil LeBeau it is that GM will build an all-electric ‘Vette EV.

Why? For a combination of reasons: the Corvette is the giant killer of sports cars, a vehicle that has become known for delivering the performance and technology of name-brand hotties like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche for a fraction of their cost. Virtually all of the leading sports-car makers have now committed to building either hybrid or electric models in the near future. Some of the top brands already have hybrids on the market. “The other guys are doing it” is a strong enough reason for electrifying the ‘Vette. It’s the price of keeping up with the competition, capitalizing on the buzz surrounding electric vehicles in general. The second reason for electrifying the C8 is even simpler: it has the potential to deliver tremendous power and performance along with environmental cred.

GM

The Corvette C8 was designed from the outset to include a hybrid model. The C8’s front compartment is designed to house a module made up of one or two electric motors and associated control hardware. A small battery pack will most likely be located in the car’s central tunnel, which runs through the center of the passenger compartment.

To the best of our knowledge, the hybrid system was originally planned as a “power adder” to the top twin-turbo version of the 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8. With the electric motor driving the front wheels, the C8 would have all-wheel drive, enabling it to use its power—said to approach a total output of near 1000 hp—to deliver staggering straight-line acceleration. Rumor has it that the C8 hybrid was not expected to be able to drive solely on electric power, though that might have changed by now and it might be able to move on electrons for short distances at lower speeds. Because the hybrid system is essentially a plug-and-play module, it could be added to the base C8 as well, which comes with the 490-hp 6.2-liter LT2 small block pushrod V-8. Now that hybridization is taking hold in the sports car world, this is a strong possibility. Reuss stated that the hybrid ‘Vette will be out “next year.” We expect that that means late in 2023 as a 2024 model. When asked when the full EV C8 would arrive, Reuss coyly sidestepped the question, essentially saying “somewhere down the road.” We believe that converting the C8 to full electric propulsion will require a massive redesign of the car aft of the seats. There is a vast difference in propulsion systems between the internal-combustion C8s and the EV model.

The revisions include the need to package the large battery required to provide both massive power and reasonable driving range; fitting one or two electric motors in the rear; and packaging the Ultium battery. This battery pack is currently used in larger vehicles including the Hummer EV and upcoming Cadillac Lyriq and it will have to be redesigned to fit within the confines of the two-seat Vette. All this takes time—years rather than months—and then the car will have to be debugged, validated for reliability, and fine-tuned to deliver the superb ride-and-handling balance of the ICE Vettes currently on offer. While the project is no doubt well underway, we expect a C8 EV to appear around 2024 as a 2025 model at the earliest. While the timeline and the details of the C8 EV are highly speculative at this point, given the current gas-powered Vette’s performance and value we have high hopes that it will retain its giant-killer rep in the EV-sports car world as well.
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• The second-generation Datsun Z is emblematic of the 1980s.• This time-warp example has covered just 8000 miles.• For sale right now on Bring a Trailer, the auction for this car ends on April 29.

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The seller of this 1983 Datsun 280ZX, Adamike, would appear to be quite a fan of the Japanese marque judging by the giant, dealership-sized DATSUN sign in front of which he parked this vintage Z. If that visual seems vaguely familiar, it may be because this seller has used it in previous BaT sales—for a 36,000-mile ’78 280Z that brought $61,000 back in October and a remarkable 355-mile 1976 280Z that went for $140,000 in November.

This 1983 280ZX is another exceedingly low-mileage example for sale right now on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. The second-gen Z debuted for 1979, and at the time, we said that it “evolves into a personal luxury car.” That genre had a powerful hold on the U.S. auto market back then, with buyers snapping up Monte Carlos, Cordobas, Cutlass Supremes, and the like by the hundreds of thousands.

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The new ZX was in tune with the swanky, decadent zeitgeist, and a glance at the (included) original window sticker for this car shows power windows, air conditioning, velour upholstery, and a cassette stereo all included amongst the standard equipment. This car takes things up a notch with its T-tops, the period’s most glamorous feature.

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Although the styling drew a clear connection to the original, Datsun ironed some creases into the sheet metal to update the organic curves of its predecessor. The champagne metallic hue (French Beige) is accented with red tape stripes that are remarkably intact. Extra points for the “Datsun Saves” license plate, which was the brand’s long-serving ad slogan during the fuel-crisis era. Sharp eyes will note the nascent “by Nissan” plaque on the tail, a whisper of change to come.

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The red-red-red interior stopped us in our tracks. Groove to its color-keyed uniformity and its sheer chromatic intensity. And while the automatic transmission was by this point an increasingly popular option on the Z, this car has a five-speed stick shift poking up between the seats.

@chrisbealphotography

@chrisbealphotography

Under the front-hinged hood lives a fuel-injected 2.8-liter L28E inline-six. Here, we must pause to compliment the seller’s presentation, which borders on the obsessive and includes such elements as compression test results, mapped paint-meter readings, and nighttime images of the exterior lights and dashboard warning lights. Bravo, sir.That presentation combined with this car’s condition and the ultra-low mileage is sure to lead to a strong selling price when the hammer falls this coming Friday. The winning bidder may not have a huge Datsun sign on the wall of their garage but hopefully does have the feathered hair and acid-washed jeans to fully live the Eighties dream.

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GM confirmed that there will be an electric version of the Corvette coming soon.A hybrid powertrain will be added next year, and the battery-powered model will follow.The EV model will use GM’s Ultium battery platform, and it could be called E-Ray.What’s more radical, a mid-engine Corvette or an electric Corvette? We’re about to find out, as GM President Mark Reuss confirmed today on CNBC that a Corvette EV is nigh and that it is coming soon after Chevy launches a hybrid model in 2023.
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The electric Corvette will use GM’s Ultium battery platform, and we speculated in the past that Chevy’s trademark of the name “E-Ray” could be used for some sort of electrified Corvette model. We’re guessing that the prototype in this video is the hybrid model, as there’s a clear soundtrack of a V-8 gasoline engine playing in the background, but Chevy should release some teasers of the EV model in due time. The camouflaged prototype appears to have the exact same body as the gas-powered Corvette—the main visual difference we can spot is the yellow color of the brake calipers.

When the electric Corvette arrives, it will have to offer impressive performance specs to compete with its internal-combustion siblings. The Corvette Z06, for one, has a 670-hp 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8, while the hybrid model is rumored to offer around 1000 horsepower from a twin-turbo version of that engine combined with an electric motor powering the front wheels. In the video, we can see that the front wheels start spinning before the rears, confirming this all-wheel-drive setup; we think that the electric version will offer AWD as well.We look forward to hearing more about both the hybrid and the electric model within the next few months as Chevy prepares to offer a broader Corvette lineup than ever before.
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The last-generation Audi RS6 Avant might not have come to the U.S., but we still love it. A twin-turbo V-8–powered wagon making over 500 horsepower is always a good time, after all. This one’s been tuned by Akrapovič, and it’s capable of over 200 mph. But it does have at least one electrical gremlin that needs sorting out. The AutoTopNL YouTube channel was given the opportunity to do some top-speed testing on this Akrapovič RS6. The test driver doesn’t hold any of the car’s 700 horsepower back on the autobahn, taking it all the way to an indicated 324 kph (201 mph). But a few moments after the car crosses the 324 kph barrier, something strange happens to the speedometer: It falls all the way back down to zero. The speed of the car doesn’t change, and there aren’t any warning lights that pop up on the dash. For a second or two, the computers nestled behind the dashboard thought the car had come to an extremely abrupt stop. As soon as the speedo drops to zero, though, it jumps all the way back up to 320 km/h, and all is normal. It’s unclear why the car briefly thought it wasn’t moving, though if I had to guess, it was likely a faulty wheel speed sensor on one of the corners (though the car likely would’ve thrown an ABS fault, so who knows?) German cars can get weird out of warranty.

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Mazda’s four-rotor sports prototypes of the late Eighties and early Nineties are legends, thanks in large part to their extraordinary sound. Perhaps the least well known of this group is the RX-792P, of which just three were built for IMSA GTP racing in 1992 before Mazda canceled the four-rotor program, as the engine could no longer be raced in Europe.

But the RX-792P is a glorious thing nevertheless. Mazda North America still has one and brought it out for the historic races at Long Beach earlier this month. Road & Track contributor Marshall Pruett was there and managed to capture video, and perhaps more importantly, audio of the car. The noise is, as ever, scintillating.Around the three-minute mark, driver Tom Long really gets on it, and the sound plus the Long Beach scenery whizzing by will give you goosebumps. Next time around, the car fully warmed up, and he spends a few seconds buzzing the rev limiter in fifth. You’ll want to replay that over and over.The first Mazda four-rotor racing engine was the 13J, which debuted in the 1988 767. It evolved into the stronger, more powerful, yet more efficient R26B, which made its debut in the 1990 787. The 787B in 1991 got a unique variable-length intake system and made 690 horsepower at 9000 rpm. Unfortunately, the FIA banned rotary engines for the 1992 season, leaving America as the only place to run an R26B.Which Mazda did for 1992. As to be expected, the RX-792P—which shared little with the 787B—had a number of first-year teething problems and only managed two podium finishes over the 1992 season. Mazda North America planned to race the car in 1993, but with Mazda Japan canceling the four-rotor program entirely, it had no engine. Thankfully, we have historic racing, and the RX-792P can still be raced today.

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Ken Block is one of the most skilled drifters on the planet, so if there’s anyone who can get an 8000-pound diesel-powered dually pickup truck sideways, it’s him. Block thought it would be a good idea to slide his massive 2019 Ford F-450 Super Duty tow rig around an empty parking lot at Utah Motorsports Campus for a recent YouTube video after one of his Hoonigan colleagues snapped the half-shafts on his Mk 2 Escort. With a curb weight well over four tons and a suspension designed to tow 35,000 pounds, the truck isn’t exactly the best-suited drift machine. But thanks to a 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel V-8 making a massive 935 pound-feet of torque under the hood, Block somehow makes it work. And he does it in spectacular fashion. By keeping the truck in third gear, Block is able to pull off some truly impressive slides, linking transitions and executing perfect donuts around his broken Escort. And because he has so much room to play with, there’s a lot of speed involved too. Leave it to Ken Block to turn a tow rig into a competent drift missile.

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Aston Martin plans to launch the first electric model in the company’s history by 2025.Before the EV, Aston will start delivering its first plug-in hybrid–the Valhalla pictured above–in 2024.Aston also says that all of its models will be available with an electrified powertrain by 2026.For anyone who hasn’t figured it out by now, the auto industry is having a moment. It seems every other day another automaker is parading its plans to transition to an entirely electric lineup by the end of the decade. Today it’s Aston Martin’s turn. To no one’s surprise, the company is targeting 2030 as the expiration date of new models with internal-combustion engines. Of course, there’s a chance it’ll still build gas-burning special editions outside its core lineup. Besides that predictable announcement, though, Aston also says it’ll launch its first electric model by 2025.

A few years ago, the 600-hp Aston Martin Rapide E was earmarked to be the British automaker’s first production EV. We even got some seat time in a prototype before Aston canceled plans to build a limited run of 155 copies. Whatever the company’s brass learned from that experience, it looks like they’re ready to try again. This time around, we have no idea what body style the first Aston EV will be, but this author is willing to bet a year’s salary it won’t be another four-door sedan. Could there be an electric version of the DBX SUV? Or perhaps the next-generation Vanquish will be available with an electric option. After all, it’s now expected to launch in 2025, which conveniently aligns with Aston’s timeline.

Aston Martin

Before the British brand’s first EV arrives, the 937-hp Valhalla–Aston’s first plug-in hybrid–will start deliveries in 2024. That model will kick-start the planned transition to an electric lineup by the end of the decade. Within four years, Aston says every model in its lineup will be available with an electrified powertrain. That means if the DBX or the Vantage is around for the 2026 model year, they’ll be offered with some type of hybrid option, if not a full-blown electric version. In the meantime, Aston is keen to let the world know that the light is green going forward when it comes to targeting net-zero carbon emissions. Welcome to the club.
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The 20,000th Lamborghini Huracán has been built, an STO painted in Grigio Acheso Matt, destined for a customer in Monaco.71 percent of Huracán buyers have gone for coupes, while 32 percent of sales have been in the United States.Lamborghini says that 60 percent of Huracáns have been customized by the company’s Ad Personam program.For most of Lamborghini’s history, the Italian supercar marque managed to sell only a few hundred vehicles per year. But this changed when the Gallardo arrived in 2003—the junior V-10 supercar sold just over 14,000 units during a ten-year production run. This blew its predecessor, the V-8–powered Jalpa, out of the water, with only 410 Jalpas being sold between 1981 and 1988. But the Gallardo’s follow-up, the Huracán, has proved even more successful, and Lamborghini announced on Thursday that it has built the 20,000th example of the V-10–powered supercar that entered production in 2014.

Lamborghini

The 20,000th Huracán to roll off the line in Sant’Agata Bolognese was an STO, the high-performance, track-focused version that draws inspiration from the Huracán EVO Super Trofeo race car. This record-setting STO was finished in Grigio Acheso Matt paint for a customer in Monaco.

With the announcement, Lamborghini provided some details on how Huracán customers have ordered their supercars so far. 71 percent of Huracán owners have opted for a coupe version, while the remaining 29 percent wanted the ability to drop the top to better hear the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10 sing. The United States has been the Huracán’s biggest market, with 32 percent of sales, with the U.K. and the China completing the top three.The majority of Huracáns have come with some form of personalization, with 60 percent of the 20,000 units sold so far being decked out by Lamborghini’s Ad Personam customization program. Lamborghini says that customers have taken inspiration for colors, trims, and materials from everything from furniture and clothing to makeup and precious stones. Central Europe, Japan, and the U.K. have been the biggest markets for the Ad Personam division. With STO production underway and the recent introduction of the Tecnica model, the Huracán should continue racking up sales before a plug-in hybrid model arrives in 2024.
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