Chevy’s Corvette has always shared a spiritual link with the maritime world – the name itself is drawn from the designation for a small, fast, maneuverable warship, and ironically, we’ve seen plenty of Chevy Corvettes end up in the water in rivers, lakes, canals, and even the Pacific ocean. But we’ve also seen a lot of Corvette-themed speedboats, executed with a greater or lesser degree of success by both enthusiastic amateurs and seasoned boatbuilding companies.
Thanks to Classic Driver, we can now add this concept from Swedish designer Bo Zolland to the list. Specifications include carbon fiber construction, a five-person cabin, gull-wing doors, and power supplied by a single 496 or 502 cubic inch Mercruiser V8, Volvo Penta diesel (for those without a human soul), or most appropriately, a factory-supercharged LS9 engine, as found in the current C6 ZR1 Corvette. Speed is estimated at between 55 and 70 knots (63-80 MPH) depending on the choice of powerplant.
Zolland Design AB has a number of real-life custom boat designs to its credit, making this particular concept less of a blue-sky exercise than you might expect from looking at it. Swedish boat builder Strand Craft is reportedly on-board to produce the concept should there be sufficient interest – that company has an interesting background as well, offering a number of luxury yachts with custom “tender” supercars crafted to match.
Will this design ever turn a prop in the real world? Hard to say, but it seems like the only thing standing in the way is money and a customer willing to spend it. There’s no indication as to how much cubic dollars it will take, but like they say, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it…