Chevrolet broke tradition when it moved the engine behind the driver in the 8th generation Corvette. Just when most of us had come to terms with that, Chevy took it another step further with the Hybrid Corvette E-Ray. We recently had a chance to take this 2024 E-Ray Convertible 3LZ for a First Drive.

Diving right into the powertrain, the E-Ray still uses the 6.2-liter LT2 V8 with 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. But this is 2024, that’s not enough. So, up front sits an electric motor adding another 160 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque. Type those numbers into a calculator and you’ll reach a total system output of 655 horsepower. Now that’s more like it.

With a factory 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds and a 10.5 second quarter-mile at 130 miles per hour, the E-Ray is touted as the quickest production Corvette ever.

We’ll put that moniker to the test soon, but before we do that, we spent some quality time with the E-ray out on the streets.

“As I see it there are really two ways to show off in this e-ray and the first will probably annoy some Corvette purists, but it’s to put it in stealth mode and drive on electric power alone. And yeah I realize that for a few miles up to 45 MPH, that effectively makes this a front wheel drive Corvette. But I would argue that there are some real-world practical purposes. For instance, not waking up the entire neighborhood on a cold morning when you’re trying to beat everybody to the donut shop. And to that end, the second and most fun way to show off in this E-Ray is by just sending it. That instant torque coming from the front motor really kicks up the Corvette experience a notch.”

The electric motor gets its juice from a relatively small 1.9-kWh battery pack that’s mounted between the seats. Since this is not a plug-in hybrid, the battery is charged by the gas engine and regenerative braking. To get the maximum performance, it’s best to start with a fully charged battery. We found that simply driving in charge+ mode returned those sweet, sweet electrons in minutes or even less.

Outside, the E-Ray uses the Z06’s wide body proportions with staggered wheels and standard carbon ceramic brakes. Magnetic ride control 4.0 is also standard as are Michelin Pilot Sport all-season tires. This car’s optional performance package includes Pilot 4S summer tires.

E-Ray pricing starts over $100,000 with this well-optioned 3LZ Convertible coming in at $135,000. We’ll have a full road test on this 2024 Corvette E-Ray soon. So keep it locked on MotorWeek!