This just in: GM unveils stunning new one-of-one California Corvette hypercar

This is how General Motors is paying tribute to Southern California. Welcome to the mad, bad and entirely delectable California Corvette, a new hypercar concept that… well, we’re not sure what it’s supposed to do, but it looks ace.

As it should do. Penned by GM’s Advanced Design studio in Pasadena, it’s a reimagining of the everlasting ‘Vette, infused with “a futuristic, Southern California twist”.

It’s being hailed as a “one-of-one” hypercar that combines “racing simulator inspiration” with cues from Corvettes of yore. It’s wide – wider than a Range Rover, in fact – with an aggressive, narrow-eyed front tapering around to a very low, aero-honed silhouette. Southern California has never looked so… angry.

Or diffuser-y. The rear is basically a gaping set of tunnel entrances filtering into that underbody. The sides look as though the flesh has been stripped back to reveal the working tendons underneath. And Southern California has never had this much… stance.

Being a concept, and one that pays tribute to the Golden State, it’s powered by electricity, but in what capacity hasn’t been revealed. GM has noted only that there’s a “T-shape prismatic battery pack” allowing for low seating and better airflow around and through the chassis. Yeah, F1 teams could probably use the Cali Corvette’s rear tunnels for aero testing.

It's a transformer, too – there’s a single-piece canopy hinged at the front that turns it from a coupe to an “open-air track car”. And considering how low, wide and angry it looks, confining it to a circuit might be best for all.

“The California Corvette concept is another example of forward-thinking design,” said GM’s global design VP Bryan Nesbitt. “We invited multiple GM studios to envision Corvette-inspired hypercars – the first of which was revealed by our UK studio in March.

“The California team has now delivered a complementary study that honours Corvette’s legendary performance, while infusing it with their own distinctive vision,” he added.

Oh yeah, this is the second Corvette concept, following that mad, bad British one, and it’ll be followed up by a third concept at some point soon.