As you’re well aware, Chevrolet is keeping its mouth shut about future versions of the ‘Vette. The Stingray utilizes a small-block V8 with 6.2 liters of displacement and natural aspiration, but the question is, what does the future hold?
The C8.R from Corvette Racing offers a bit of a clue in the guise of a flat-plane crankshaft V8 with 5.5 liters of displacement. Codenamed LT5, this engine promises 500 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque in race trim.
‘Vette enthusiasts might have acknowledged by now that the C8.R is the first Corvette without pushrods since the ZR1 from the 1990s, which also sported an LT5 with a DOHC valvetrain. Next up, let’s talk about the next Z06.
The video uploaded by Jim Lill on Facebook, then re-uploaded by Motrolix on YouTube, confirms the flat-plane crankshaft design and the high-revving nature of the engine, though the Z06 doesn’t feature the LT5 from the C8.R racing car. It’s understood that Chevy will offer the 5.5 in three versions, namely naturally aspirated, twin-turbo, and hybrid.
e-Ray is rumored to be the name of the hybrid, ZR1 should be the variant with forced induction, and therefore, the Z06 could is likely to receive the naturally aspirated version. The N/A is understood to be codenamed LT6, the twin-turbo is LT7, and that’s about all we know about future C8 models.
Some people believe the Z06 will reportedly pack a little more than 600 horsepower from the LT6 engine, which would be a downgrade from the 650 horsepower of the previous generation with the supercharged engine up front. On the upside, the revs and the sound of the N/A engine would be greatly appreciated. Natural aspiration also means the engine won’t be as strained as a supercharged or turbocharged powerplant. Lest we forget, the seventh generation of the Corvette in Z06 flavor had cooling issues in the hands of motoring journalists and customers alike.
As for the LT7 with twin-turbo technology, it must be highlighted that this engine is a different animal from the LTA from Cadillac. Better known as the Blackwing, the 4.2-liter engine features a hot-vee design, meaning that the turbochargers are located between the cylinder banks. In the CT6-V, this engine develops 550 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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