Hybrid Corvette E-Ray to Serve as Indianapolis 500 Pace Car

Chevy's hybrid, all-wheel-drive, mid-engined C8 Corvette E-Ray will serve as the Indianapolis 500 pace car later this month at the hallmark event's 108th running.

The E-Ray is Chevy's quickest Corvette ever, with a claimed 0-60 time of just 2.5 seconds. It pairs a 6.2-liter, naturally-aspirated, 495-horse V-8 turning the rear wheels with an electric motor on the front axle that motivates the front wheels. The combined system output is a meaty 655 horsepower, and that electric drive unit alone is good for 160 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque.

We first rode in the E-Ray back in January of last year and quickly discovered that this was a very unique experience within the Corvette world. It was the first all-wheel-drive Corvette to reach production, and the first to employ hybrid tech in service of greater performance.

Then, last fall, we finally got behind the wheel of the E-Ray and confirmed that the hybrid drivetrain had serious performance potential, while also feeling like the ideal grand touring Corvette of the C8 pack.

The Artic White E-Ray should shine brightly leading the pack of speedway-spec IndyCars. It's a clever nod from the series to choose a performance-oriented hybrid to lead the lineup, especially since the series finally announced that it will incorporate a hybrid component into the race cars' drivetrains beginning in July.

The E-Ray will join a long list of Corvettes that have paced the greatest spectacle in racing; to date, no model has lapped ahead of the IndyCar field more than a Corvette. We've seen that past iterations of Corvette Pace cars have become sought-after collectibles, so we're just warning you: Don't be surprised if some sort of commemorative E-Ray Pace Car edition pops up at your local dealership soon after the race.

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