"Tommy’s got the key!" That’s how the video starts, and until “that one guy with the fob” gets in the car, the Corvette Racing C8.R doesn't have anything to show except for the aggressive aerodynamic diffuser, two exhaust pipes, a fixed rear wing, and two-color livery.
Fast-forward to the 48-second mark, and the engine fires up to life with a higher idle than you’d expect from a ‘Vette. The road-going model features an evolution of the LT1 small-block V8 called LT2, rated at 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque with the sports exhaust.
The C7.R makes do with a 5.5-liter engine, the LT5 pushrod V8 with a cross-plane crankshaft designed for racing. Turning our attention back to the C8.R, get a load of that rev-happy motor. The way this engine revs and loses the reves indicates that we’re dealing with a flat-plane crankshaft, a design that Chevy is expected to integrate into the LT7 twin-turbo V8 of the Z06.
Chevrolet Racing didn’t comment on what’s hiding under the hood, but we’re sure after this start-up video that the V8 is here to stay although it’s different from the LT5 we know and love. Scheduled to race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2020, the C8.R was developed to meet GT Le Mans regulations. The GTLM class further includes the eight-cylinder BMW M8 GTE and six-cylinder Porsche 911 RSR for the 2020 season.
It’s rumored the flat-plane V8 in the C8.R will feature 5.5 liters like its predecessor, which should be enough for the ‘Vette to blend performance with reliability. The DOHC valvetrain should also help, and if you take a look at all the NACA duct at the front and the hood scoop, it becomes increasingly clear that Corvette Racing has high hopes for the newcomer.
The C7.R has been raced from 2014 through 2019, six years of success on the track. Only time will tell if the C8.R can outshine its forebearer, but given the resources put by General Motors into the road-going counterpart, the racing car is sure to surprise both the competition and motorsport enthusiasts.
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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