In this HotCars exclusive render, the C4 ZR-1 gets a few modern upgrades to make it a world-beater once again.
The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the longest continually made sports cars with eight generations and counting since 1953. The latest C8 generation with its mid-engine platform continues to see success in the market and the top of the line 2023 Corvette Z06 is making an even bigger splash with its supercar beating flat-plane crank V8.
Before the engine in the Corvette moved behind the driver, there was a car that proved the Corvette could crush the international competition: The C4 Generation Corvette ZR-1. In an exclusive render, HotCars digital artist Rostislav Prokop gives the 1990 Corvette ZR-1 the restomod treatment to take on modern supercars once again.
The Newest Restomod Chevrolet Corvette C4 ZR-1 Arrives In Style
This render takes the iconic look of the fourth-generation Corvette with some modern touches. Set off by a dark gray color, the wider fenders, low side skirts, and front splitter give the car an aggressive look on the road. The render also keeps the 1990s favorite pop-up headlights and adds in a duck-tail body-color spoiler at the back.
Modern wheels and tires will let the restomod C4 ZR-1 put down the power well. Otherwise, the car is mostly true to the original but, looking into the cabin reveals a roll cage that should keep the car stiff in the corners and on the racetrack.
A Modern Corvette-Inspired Powertrain
The C4 Corvette ZR-1 has quite a powerful engine for the time. Its LT5 engine produced nearly 400 horsepower and British automaker, Lotus, worked on the design. To keep up with the myriad of 1,000 horsepower cars today, this restomod would need some serious power.
A good starting point would be to borrow the C7 Corvette ZR-1’s 755 horsepower supercharged V8 which brings the car up to par with the most powerful production Chevy of all time.
Since the new Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray shows what a hybrid Corvette can do, maybe this restomod can really break the mold and add some electric motors. This could easily bring the total power up to over 1,000 horsepower and would make this car a menace on the drag strip. With that kind of power, it would have no problem embarrassing modern hybrid supercars like the Ferrari 296 GTB or the McLaren Artura.
Considering that a used 1990 Corvette ZR-1 starts at around $30,000, it would likely take beyond six figures to produce this restomod with all the custom bodywork and violent powertrain. Although it is only a pipe dream scenario at this point, it wouldn’t be the first time an individual or tuning company took on such an ambitious project.
