2002 Italdesign Moray Corvette

The Moray project, which is presented at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, embodies the homage that Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro wish to pay to the fifty-year era of the Chevrolet Corvette, the supreme symbol of the American sports car.

Realized without hesitation on Corvette mechanics and chassis, the outcome of seeking out a sports car designed as an elegant extreme leaps into the limelight carrying a pure profile, designed as though touched by drifting tides with long and slender front lights, bringing immediately to the mind the Moray, the English term for the eel-type fish, muraema helena, found in Mediterranean waters.

Also resembling a moray rippling through sea waters is the sinuous contour line, whilst shaping the elongated front section – an unmistakable look of the Corvette grille- to a far stronger, more accentuated curvature is the serpentine bonnet (which projects frontward) forming a contrast with the upraised cut-off tail.

Hinged to the rear door frame, thereby assuring freedom of access to the inside of the car, the clear crystal semi-dome of the doors – by which the side window and roof merge into one complete unit swings open like a seagull on wing.

Quick and simple to remove, these door wings ease the way to transforming the Moray from a coupÃ©, with its unmistakable roof panel under the unique, clear crystal dome, into a quasi roadster. The direct, immediate feeling of fresh-air motoring is enhanced by removing the B door frame. This is replaced by a central arch-shaped steel structure to which the two wings are hinged.

In perfect symbiosis with the fresh and free extreme of the car, there are no side-mirrors, which have been replaced by a telecamera system with dashboard-integrated viewers. The bodyshell and paintwork color blends into the capsule, becoming one and the same. Only those surfaces inside the car touched by the driver or passenger are warmed by soft leather upholstery made with the cooperation of DrÃ¤xlmaier Group. Essential to catering the needs and preferences of the dynamic driver are dashboard-fitted instruments. Underlined by the same dashboard layout, assigned to the passenger are precise co-pilot functions.

Cool, sleek and supremely agile, of exceptional beauty and legerdemain like the sea creature from which it takes its name, the Moray is fitted with a powerful Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine, the longitude front-mounted six-liter, which reaches command of more than 400 horsepower, combined with a perfect balance ensured from the ground up by Michelin Pilot sport 335/30 ZR20 rear tires.

In Detail

type	One Of
built at	Italy
engine	All Aluminum, LS1 V8
position	Front Longitudinal
aspiration	Natural
valvetrain	OHV, 2 Valves per Cyl
displacement	6000 cc / 366.1 in³
power	298.3 kw / 400 bhp @ 6500 rpm
specific output	66.67 bhp per litre
driven wheels	RWD
front tires	255/35ZR20
rear tires	ZR20
front brakes	Vented Discs w/ABS and Power Assist
rear brakes	Vented Discs w/ABS and Power Assist
front wheels	F 43.2 x 21.6 cm / 17.0 x 8.5 in
rear wheels	R 43.2 x 21.6 cm / 17.0 x 8.5 in
f suspension	Double Wishbones w/Transverse Leaf Springs, Monotube Shock Abosrbers, Selective Ride Control
r suspension	Double Wishbones w/Transverse Leaf Springs, Monotube Shock Abosrbers, Selective Ride Control
wheelbase	2660 mm / 104.7 in
front track	1660 mm / 65.4 in
rear track	1575 mm / 62.0 in
length	4540 mm / 178.7 in
width	1950 mm / 76.8 in
height	1235 mm / 48.6 in
transmission	4-Speed Auto