Despite a troubled launch for the all-new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray because of outside circumstances, the Bow Tie brand is pressing ahead with very exciting plans for the car's future. How so? It has discreetly but aggressively been acquiring the trademark rights to the name Zora on a global level with 31 intellectual property offices throughout the world, according to GM Authority.
The automaker first applied for the trademark back in 2014 with more than 30 applications filed that year alone in numerous countries. Additional countries were added to the list the following year. This trend continued all the way through this fast February when GM requested the trademark rights in the Philippines. Interestingly, GM does not have a lot of business in that country and this was the third time it requested to protect the Zora name in the island nation in Southeast Asia.
Given the automaker's aggressive strategy to protect this specific name, it's important to remember why it's so vital in the first place. Zora Arkus-Duntov was the first Corvette chief engineer who has since become known as the Father of the Corvette. A motorsport fan, it was Arkus-Duntov who realized the C1's potential even before he got a job at GM. The company ultimately hired him and he ditched the C1's inline six-cylinder engine in favor of a V8 engine and a three-speed manual gearbox.
He continued to lead the Corvette engineering program for years but it was his dream for the sports car to go mid-engined. He also realized early on that the Corvette's front-engine design was not ideal and despite many prototypes and concepts over the decades, that V8 engine remained in front of the driver. The C8 changed all of that and GM clearly wants to honor the man. Sadly, Arkus-Duntov passed away in 1996 and never got to see his dream become a reality.
Because of GM's aggressive Zora trademark global strategy, there's a very good chance this future variant will be the ultimate C8, slotted above the also upcoming Z06 and the ZR1. Previous reports claim the C8 Zora will come powered by a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 paired to a hybrid system that'll produce a combined 1,000 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel-drive will be standard and numerous exterior aerodynamic upgrades will be everywhere.
Pricing? Way too soon to know, but a previously leaked document revealed a 2025 model year launch is being targeted. GM's commitment to securing the Zora name rights across the globe makes it clearer than ever this will be the C8 flagship.