Caught on camera in the Great White North, the ZR1 top dog of the C7 generation looked rather peculiar with its multi-colored body and different types of camouflage. It did not seem to have all of the final bits judging by the fact that it largely carried over the Z06’s body, but with a huge rear wing covered in a swirly disguise to hide the little yet very important details. Some say the wing is going to be electrically adjustable and will be offered alongside a smaller one, but we’ll just have to wait and see about that.

The front end was heavily masked in order to hide what will likely be a bevy of cooling upgrades to match the extra grunt coming from underneath the bulged hood. The range-topping ‘Vette will reportedly use a new 6.2-liter V8 “LT5” engine discovered recently in an internal GM document where it was listed for the 2018MY Corvette. The Z06 has a monstrous 650 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 LT4 unit, so expect the ZR1 to deliver more than that. As a matter of fact, it is believed the car will hit the magical 700-hp mark and possibly go beyond it.

This particular prototype from Chevy had a set of ten-spoke large alloy wheels painted in black and with massive blue brake calipers lurking behind the star-like design. It’s hard to make out any other details at this point, but expect the ZR1 to host an array of aerodynamic tweaks as it would be appropriate for the go-faster version sitting on top of the C7’s range.

And now for the bad news. The folks over at GM Authority have learned from sources close to Chevy the 2018 ZR1 is not going to be unveiled next week at NAIAS in Detroit. Seeing as how the LT5 is listed for the 2018 model year, it likely means the ZR1 will be unveiled in the months to come, but it’s difficult to say exactly when. As for the mid-engine C8, which might use the same LT5 unit, it’s allegedly slated to arrive for the 2019MY and the rumor mill indicates the C7-based ZR1 will soldier on after the new gen’s introduction for some years.

Photos: Automedia