The California Corvette Is The Coolest Sports Car That Chevy Won’t Actually Build

The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the last surviving American sports cars and it is here to stay.

It’s still a strong seller and Chevy keeps upping the ante with models like the 1,064 hp ZR1 and the 1,250 hp ZR1X hybrid that’s going on sale later this year.

One version you shouldn’t expect to see in showrooms anytime soon in an all-electric model. Corvette chief engineer Tony Roma recently confirmed that there isn’t one in development and there won’t be until the technology exists to build an electric sports car that will truly satisfy Corvette fans.

That hasn’t stopped Chevrolet from thinking about what one might look like, however, and the company has tasked its global design studios to come up with ideas. The latest comes from GM Advanced Design Pasadena and it is inspired by the Golden State.

The California Corvette is a wedge-shaped two seater that trades doors for a single-piece canopy that encompasses the windshield and can be removed for track driving.

Its Coke bottle shape is wrapped around a carbon fiber tub chassis that sits above ground effect tunnels that work with the active spoiler to generate downforce at high speeds.

The battery pack is installed in a T-shape that runs from between the seats to behind the cabin where the V8 lives in the current Corvette.

The California Corvette follows a proposal from GM’s new advanced design studio in the U.K., which imagines a car with gullwing doors and split front and rear windows.

Chevrolet hasn’t announced what’s up next, but GM also has design studios in Shanghai, Seoul and at home in Michigan.

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The eighth generation Corvette launched for the 2020 model year and is being updated for 2026 with a new interior design that includes a new infotainment system and digital instrument cluster.