When I first started writing for CorvSport I was feeling cheeky and wrote a piece lamenting the loss of the manual transmission in our beloved Corvette. The article “What’s Up With This Bull-Shift?” discussed the “visceral connection” a manual transmission helps create between man and machine. Sure, a traditional manual transmission now typically produces slower times than the advanced automatic transmissions available in modern sports cars, but nothing beats engaging that third pedal and ripping off redline shifts. [Author’s Note: This article is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any popups occur, please click to make them disappear and continue enjoying the article.]
As we head into the seventh year of C8 production, I think many of us enthusiasts have accepted the apparent reality that the manual is dead in the Corvette. But that sentiment was before this breaking YouTube video from Brink of Speed was published just hours ago. Speculation still swirls about whether the ZORA will be the most expensive Corvette model–remember when Tadge Juechter said, “The ZR1… as the range-topper… it’s the most expensive Corvette we’ll be doing…” You can read CorvSport’s full analysis of that controversy here.
Now, we can add more speculation about the ZORA as the rumor mill is cranking up once again!
Is this bull-shift, or are three pedals really coming back to the Corvette?
Let’s see what Mike from Brink of Speed has for us!
Video Preview From Brink Of Speed
“Ladies and gentlemen, today I will discuss GM’s latest leak straight from an engineer. Thank you to one of my devoted followers, he sent me information from his friend who is a high-up engineer for GM. I think we will see a 7-speed manual going in the new C8 Corvette Zora!”
Notable Timestamps With Cliff Notes And Quotes:
- [1:44] Mike: “This is a rumor, this is not fact, but I had to bring this to you guys when I heard it. I took a little while to digest it...”
- [2:22] Mike goes over what (he thinks) the ZORA is supposed to be: the 1,064 HP engine from the 2025 ZR1 plus (at a minimum) the 160 HP front electric motor from the E-Ray, combining for 1,224 horsepower.
- [3:38] Mike: “So I have a follower that is really good friends with a GM engineer, not going to name any names. This GM engineer supposedly (and I’m just saying this for their benefit) pulled up in a Zora mule and he actually opened the door and showed the manual transmission…”
- [4:13] Mike: “When he asked the engineer if that was, like I mean, is that really a manual transmission? He said absolutely and supposedly it’s going to be the only manual transmission C8 variant there is…”
- [5:04] Mike: “The other thing that he told him is that it’s not going to be 1,224 horsepower, it’s going to be 1,370, which means that the front motor has either got to put out another 146 horsepower or they’ve got to push more than 1,064 in the rear…”
- [9:14] Mike: “What do you guys think? Would this make the final variant of the C8 Corvette a legendary car that no one ever expected to happen? And, I mean… no one expected this much horsepower ever out of a Corvette. No one expected an all-wheel drive Corvette with this much horsepower. No one expected for a Corvette to be named after Zora, and finally, no one ever expected to see a manual transmission in the C8 platform ever…“
- [10:18] Mike: “I would love to speculate that this is all true and that’s exactly what we’re getting because I think I may be very tempted to click that box for a seven-speed manual. Then again, I may be tempted not to just because of the fact I don’t know how easy it would be to accelerate through those gears with a manual transmission…”
Well, CorvSport readers, do you think the ZORA will have a manual transmission? Or, is this Bull-Shift?!? If you want to keep up to date with all the fresh Corvette news and maintain a pulse on the lifestyle and culture of this exciting, iconic brand, CorvSport has the fastest-growing Corvette community on our Facebook page, with over 172,000 followers (53,000 since January 2023!). Come join other hardcore enthusiasts and say hello. This is Douglas B. signing off–click here if you would like to see more of my features.
