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Blimey, a Corvette! New GM design studio reimagines iconic Chevrolet
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 8, 2025
Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet. Make that Cricket, bangers and mash and Corvette.
General Motors Co. celebrated the opening of its new international design studio in the United Kingdom Monday with the introduction of a Chevrolet Corvette hypercar concept designed by its British design team. In keeping with GM’s aggressive move into European markets with Corvette and electric Cadillac sales, the ‘Vette design concept is battery-powered though GM says there are no production plans as yet.
The striking UK prototype is the first in a series of Corvette designs that will roll out of multiple studios in 2025 as the brand reimagines its halo car for a ninth generation and beyond. Hypercar generally refers to a sportscar featuring in excess of 1,000 horsepower ― a feat the 1,064 horsepower, 2025 Corvette ZR1 has achieved for the first time.
The futuristic, British concept bears mid-engine proportions like the current, eight-generation, V-8-powered, C8 sportscar, but GM says that the battery is integrated into the chassis. The low-slung design is lower and about a foot wider than C8.
GM’s design teams regularly work on futuristic concepts intended to drive innovation, and collaboration across the company. The concept also bears signature, throwback design elements like a split window first seen on the rear of the 1963 Corvette. The twist? The concept’s front windshield is split.
“As part of the Corvette creative study, we asked multiple studios to develop hypercar concepts, which we’ll see more of later this year,” said GM Senior Vice President of Global Design Michael Simcoe. “It was important that they all pay homage to Corvette’s historic DNA, but each studio brought their own unique creative interpretation to the project. That is exactly what our advanced design studio network is intended to do ― push the envelope, challenge convention and imagine what could be.”
The new studio is located in Royal Leamington Spa in the West Midlands region of England about 20 miles south of Birmingham and 100 miles north of London. It’s also about 35 miles west of Silverstone Park where Cadillac F1 has located its Formula One race team and chassis design operations.
Cadillac is the tip of the spear in the General’s plans to go all-electric, and the luxury brand has its eyes on international markets like Europe backed by the marketing power of its F1 team that will debut for the 2026 season. But Corvette already has significant international exposure through racing, having competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France — as well as other international racing venues ― since 2000 with nine wins at the classic French race to its credit.
Cadillac has opened its flagship showroom in the middle of Paris, and Chevrolet is preparing to launch Corvette sales across the UK and into mainland Europe.
The 24,584-square-foot studio is intended to further connect GM to European customer and cultural trends by employing fresh talent. The office expands a global design footprint that includes studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, Shanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea.
“Our advanced design team’s mandate extends well beyond creating production vehicles,” said Simcoe. “While they collaborate within our global design network on production and concept vehicle programs, these teams are primarily tasked with imagining what mobility could look like five, 10, and even 20 years into the future and driving innovation for GM.”
The UK studio employs 30 team members and is outfitted for both digital and clay model development. The team is led by veteran designer Julian Thomson who has penned noteworthy designs like the Lotus Elise, Land Rover LRX (Evoque) concept, and until 2021 oversaw Jaguar’s advanced design department.
The ‘Vette concept is particularly focused on structural innovation. The design is split in two halves with the upper body focused on Corvette-inspired form and the lower half focused on function and how to integrate the battery into the chassis both structurally and aerodynamically. Even the split window featurre is functional.
“One of the most unusual and significant aspects of our concept’s design is a feature known as Apex Vision,” said designer Thomson. “A nod to Corvette’s centerline focus and inspired by the iconic ‘split window’ 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, this feature emphasizes a singular vertical central spine that is also a structural element, also providing a panoramic view of the road and surroundings.”
The concept itself is a product of 3D-printed, additive manufacturing. Inspired by aviation principles, the body is essentially an inverted aircraft wing that ― without tacked on spoilers and wings ― uses surfacing, dorsal fins, and venting to create downforce, sucking the car to the road.
Gull-wing doors open to a sparse, two-seat interior.
Corvette has a history of daring design dating back to the 1964 Duntov Mule, 1961 Mako Shark , 1964 CERV II and 1990 CERV III ― the latter pair foreshadowing the first mid-engined Corvette in 2020.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.