Photo Credit: Simon Rainer
Last weekend was another pivotal moment for the Corvette E-Ray, Chevrolet’s first AWD sports car. The car officially made its debut in the United Kingdom at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ahead of its going on sale with a right-hand drive model in the UK.
The E-Ray becomes the third C8 model exported to the UK, behind the Stingray and Z06. It will be available to order in both Coupe and Convertible body styles, and they will start at £153K ($204,847 USD) for the Coupe and £159K ($212,880 USD) for the Convertible. The first customer orders are scheduled to arrive in September.
Executive Corvette Chief Engineer Tony Roma did a presentation on the E-Ray at Goodwood, and the word is that the Ford guys next door choose that time for some convenient revving of their Mustang GTD. But that’s all in good fun between the two rival automakers.
Roma also talked with pistonheads.com about the Corvette’s AWD system and as far as the E-Ray goes, there are no plans to introduce a plug-in element to the first electrified Corvette. “It’s a lot of work to do plug in, a lot more safety and regulatory stuff to do PHEV,” says Roma. When comparing the E-Ray’s eAWD to that of the new 1250-hp ZR1X, the ZR1X uses a higher voltage with the same 1.9kWh battery which produces 26hp and 20 lb-ft of torque more than the E-Ray. The obvious question was apparently asked about the E-Ray gaining that same front wheel performance and his answer brought a smile to our faces. “Absolutely. Stay tuned on that. Not for ‘25 or ‘26, but some day in the future.”
Tony also touched on the E-Ray’s Carbon Fiber Wheels from Carbon Revolution. They will be an option for U.K. E-Ray buyers just like the Z06. Tony believes the rims are worth a second a lap due reducing unsprung mass, and that can transform the car with better ride and handling. ““We sell about as many as Carbon Revolution can make at the moment”, he reckons, with about 15 per cent of US customers going for them. They’d surely be the ideal accompaniment to those ceramic rotors for the ultimate in unsprung gains…”
Photo Credit: Simon Rainer
Pere Brugal is GM Europe’s Managing Director and President and he told pistonheads one of the biggest issues facing Corvette sales is the lack of dealerships as there are no dedicated Chevrolet dealers located in the U.K. Currently, third-party dealers Lumen Automotive and Arnold Clark are allowed to resell the Corvette, but apparently Corvette sales are limited to just four cities: Shrewsbury, Altrincham, Birmingham, and Glasgow.
Pere says GM was always planning on offering the three-car lineup with Stingray, Z06, and the E-Ray. “GM has invested heavily over the past five years in traditional V8 engines and also on EV technologies and platform”, says Pere. “It felt natural to bring them both together.” With a hybrid resurgence happening in the U.K., he actually expects to see more E-Rays sold there as a higher percentage when compared to other markets.
Former Corvette Racing ace and current Corvette brand ambassador Oliver Gavin was at Goodwood Festival of Speed and posted these photos on his Facebook account. He credits the photos as taken by Simon Rainer:
Source:
Piston Heads
Related:
Arnold Clark Dealership Group in the U.K. Begins Delivering New Corvettes to Customers
The 2025 Corvette Z06 Is Now Available to Order in the United Kingdom
[VIDEO] Right-Hand Drive Corvette Unveiled in the U.K. at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
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