NAIAS Live - Chevrolet Corvette C7.R (race car)

14/01/2014 - 01:32 | Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet, 2014 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS 2014) | Shrawan Raja

The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R that celebrates its track premiere at the Rolex 24 at Daytona on the 25th of January 2014 has been shown at the North American International Auto Show 2014.

Unveiled alongside the Corvette Z06, the C7.R was co-developed with the former and represents the "closest connection between the racing and road-going Corvettes in modern times."

The C7.R features the same aluminium frame as the production car and for the first time, the race car will be built in-house. The structure of the C7.R is 40 percent stronger than that of its predecessor, the C6.R, as more advanced manufacturing materials were leveraged on.

The C7.R is powered by a direct-injection petrol engine which is 3 percent more fuel economical than the throttle body injected engine. Owing to regulations, the C7.R carries over the same powertrain capacity as the C6.R (5.5L engine) while the same suspension system is reworked to have wider racing tires and bigger brakes, adhering to the rules.

The aerodynamic strategies come straight off the C6.R which include the forward-tilting radiator, functional hood, rear transmission and cooling intakes. The C7.R and the C7 share some similarities here as they use similar front splitters, rocker panels and brake cooling ducts.