Chevrolet Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo: Concepts You Can Buy, Virtually

The reset button, nonexistent repair bills and idealized budgets are just a few benefits racing video games lord over the real world. For car designers, however, there’s a whole different draw to the virtual world: freedom from typical production-vehicle design constraints.

Chevrolet is embracing that freedom with the Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo concepts. The CX and CX.R are the latest in a long line of partnerships between automakers and Polyphony Digital, the makers of the popular Gran Turismo video game franchise for Sony’s PlayStation. And like the Vision Gran Turismo concepts developed by brands from the likes of Bugatti, Ferrari and Lamborghini over the last decade-plus, the CX and CX.R will be available for players to race in the game.

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Uninhibited Freedom

Despite the extreme forward position of the greenhouse, the concept’s pointy shark nose, swollen front fenders and quadruple taillights leave hints of Corvette DNA in the CX’s design. The blacked-out greenhouse wraps around the cabin like the visor of a helmet and lifts up like one, too; in fact, not only does the canopy tilt forward like a fighter jet, but all of the upper bodywork from the B-pillar to the nose pivots forward to allow access to the CX’s interior. (Distinct panels are not a repair consideration when body damage doesn’t exist.) There are no exterior handles because the concept opens automatically when the driver approaches.

Beneath that canopy is a purposeful cabin (comfort: another nonfactor in the virtual world) of Inferno Red “ballistic textile” and exposed forged carbon fiber. For all of the importance of infotainment systems in modern vehicles, the Corvette CX does not have a central touchscreen — or any other secondary control knobs or stalks, for that matter. All controls are centered on a small display in the middle of the steering yoke, and the entire windshield is said to function as a surround-view head-up display for real-time performance data.

EVs Suck (Literally)

Chevrolet says the Corvette CX’s powertrain “was chosen to provide maximum design freedom,” which means only one thing in 2025: electric motors. One motor powers each wheel, providing all-wheel drive and four-corner torque vectoring, as well as “more than 2,000 horsepower.” A 90-kilowatt-hour battery is said to power those motors from somewhere low in the chassis, positioned for ideal weight distribution.

Designers get to bypass more than just mainstream consumer concerns when dreaming up virtual cars; they’re also free from racing regulations. To that end, not only does even the “roadgoing” CX have a massive rear diffuser, but both the CX and CX.R get a system of fans to generate incredible downforce for on-track performance. The fans draw air through the various openings in the bodywork and manipulate airflow over the diffuser. Chevrolet also says the front suspension arms are shaped to enhance airflow and reduce lift.

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No Rules

For the CX.R, Chevrolet does away with even the merest vestige of real-world concern. The racing version of the CX sits even lower and boasts monstrous active aerodynamic elements. For greater on-track endurance than a battery can provide, the CX.R Vision Gran Turismo gets a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter V-8 engine that revs to 15,000 rpm and makes 900 hp. An electric motor incorporated into the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and two more powering the front wheels keep total output on par with the roadgoing CX at 2,000 hp.

The Chevrolet Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo are fanciful, of course, but grounded in a loose reality. To make them drive and handle realistically, Chevrolet engineers provided Polyphony Digital what the brand says are “detailed blueprints for the chassis, drivetrain and aerodynamic features” of both concepts. Players will be able to find out for themselves later in August when the cars become available in Gran Turismo 7. Chevrolet Executive Design Director Phil Zak says the pair “[define] the design direction for Corvette moving forward” — so, elements of the CX might appear on a future Corvette, but they probably won’t include a fighter jet canopy.

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