Chevrolet’s hardcore Corvette ZR1 unveiled

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Chevrolet has presented a new track-focused version of its Corvette - and the supercar is the company’s most powerful production model yet.

Based on the seventh-generation Corvette coupe, the ZR1 gets a reworked front bumper with larger air inlets and a small carbon fibre winglets that help generate more grip at higher speeds.

There are also carbon-fibre additions along the sides of the car, which leads towards a massive racing-inspired spoiler that sits atop the boot lid.

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Although a growing number of supercars are moving towards cleaner, hybrid engines, says Top Gear, the ZR1 sticks with the base car’s more traditional supercharged 6.2-litre V8 motor. However, the website adds, the supercar’s power output has been upped from 453bhp to 745bhp.

And the US-based manufacturer has installed a see-through panel in the bonnet in order to show off the supercharged engine.

Power is sent to the rear axle through either a manual seven-speed or eight-speed paddle-shift automatic gearbox - the first automatic transmission in a Chevrolet supercar.

Inside, Motor Trend says, the new ZR1 features leather seats with “suede-like microfibre” highlights, along with “an option to make them heated and cooled”.

Sports seats come as an optional extra, the site adds, as does “a carbon-fibre rimmed steering wheel.”

Chevrolet has yet to release pricing for the Corvette ZR1, but it's expected to exceed the base car’s $56,000 (£43,000) price tag significantly.

The car is set to release in the spring of 2019, but it is not yet known whether it will be available in the UK.