Yahoo Autos Listen to the Mid-Engine Flat-Plane V-8 Corvette Z06 Launch Out in the Open
The Corvette switching to a mid-engine layout is huge news, but it's not the only major change happening with the car. In October, Chevy revealed the race-ready C8.R, now packing a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V-8 engine—a big step away from the pushrod V-8s found in the new road car and last-generation race car. A Chevy engineer confirmed the engine would make its way to a road-going Corvette, and this test car is likely it.
GMAuthority.com managed to snag a video (above) of what seems to be the next-generation Z06 accelerating through the entrance of General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds back in June. The car's looks aren't what interests us—it's the sound. Unlike the normal Corvette, which has a traditional, deep pushrod V-8 noise we're familiar with, this one sounds more like the flat-plane C8.R. It has more in common sound-wise with a Ferrari 458 than it does with any Corvette.
This isn't the first time we've heard this engine. Back in January, Facebook user Jim Lill shared a video (below) to the C8 Corvette Owners group showing what looks to be a heavily camouflaged Corvette testing in the mountains east of San Diego on a cloudy afternoon.
Though Chevy hasn't officially confirmed it, the dual-overhead-cam flat-plane V-8 will likely be the engine powering the C8 Z06. In the race car, it uses direct injection, and makes around 500 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque, according to engineers. It'll likely make more than that in the road car, as the Z51 C8 already makes 495 hp. Unlike the muscley V-8 in the base car, though, this is going to be a screaming engine that makes big power at high RPMs. According to MotorTrend, it'll rev all the way to 9000 rpm. That's a redline that beats almost every modern supercar, which should make the C8 Z06 fun to wring out.
Update 8/28: This story has been updated with a new report suggesting that the Z06 will have a 9000-rpm redline.
via MotorTrend
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