US publication GM Authority has been keeping a close eye out for information on the upcoming Corvette performance engines and vehicle models. Early in November the publication displayed an image that was posted on Corvette Forum, showing an engine on a crate at the National Corvette Museum, which is right near the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green Kentucky. Stamped on the front of the pallet was “LT6 Gamma, LT7 Beta”, which GM Authority believes confirms the ongoing development of the twin turbo LT7 engine. Alpha, Beta and Gamma designate the various steps in development of automotive vehicles or components.
The LT7 is clearly the engine that is destined for the C8 ZR1 and with the aid of twin turbochargers is widely expected to produce around 850 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque. The current LT6 engine, fitted to the Z06, features a flat-plane crank but it is not yet known whether the boosted engine will retain this crank configuration. My own thoughts are that it will. Word of this 850-horsepower twin-turbo engine has been going around for the last couple of years and we have always found Corvette C8 rumours to be very accurate. You would almost suspect these rumours have been leaked from GM itself, either underhandedly or even deliberately to keep the Corvette devotees enthusiastic.
It is also widely believed the LT7 will find its way into the ultimate C8, the Zora. In this application it will be paired with electric motors on the front wheels, producing around 1,000 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque between the two forms of motivation. The next-up C8 release is the E-ray, where GM will test out for the first time a hybrid configuration with IC engine rear-wheel drive and electric powered front wheel drive.
Although there has been no official confirmation of the LT7 engine, GM President, Mark Reuss, during a recent GM Investor Day event, talked about two upcoming high-performance Corvette model variants. GM Authority reports that although Reuss did not specifically name these two variants, his words are sure to build plenty of hype. Reuss was quoted as saying “as C8 was designed as an early architecture, we keep stepping it up, so this will again set the standard of the world for performance for Chevrolet, and I couldn’t be more excited for that.”
Reuss also teased that “the next version of the C8 at the very top of the line [would be] something you won’t be able to imagine from a performance standpoint,” adding, “we’ll put the world on notice with this car, it’s our platform of excellence.” There is no doubt that Reuss was talking about the Zora version of the C8.
GM Authority expects the ZR1 with its LT7 engine will be launched for the 2024 model year with the Zora coming about a year later. There is no word at this stage whether these two variants of the C8 will be sold in Australia. However, there has been a general statement made in the past by GM that all versions of the C8 will be built in RHD as well as LHD and it is expected Australia will be included, particularly with the overwhelming success of the Corvette C8 here. But expect the Australia sales dates will be some time after the US releases.