Motor Trend reported yesterday (with more to come in the August 2010 issue) that the 7th generation of the Chevrolet Corvette with still feature a small block V8 but it will likely be smaller than the current “base” engine option. According to Motor Trend, the 6.2L LS3 in the current Corvette will be replaced by a 5.5L V8, likely using direct injection to yield improved fuel economy and more importantly – more power.
This new 5.5L V8 C7 Corvette engine is expected to make around 440 horsepower from an aluminum cylinder head and engine block design with direct injection and “a new combustion system” working with what I expect to be the good ol’ overhead valve design. Right now, this is all just speculation but we can expect the folks at Motor Trend to be pretty accurate with this report… the only question now is when will we see this new engine? The C7 Corvette isn’t expected to hit the market until 2012 at the absolute soonest and with any luck the C7 Corvette will look a little more like the C6 and a little less like the Transformers-used concept shown above.
The new 5.5L V8 is expected to be a part of the $890 million investment spread across GM’s five small block manufacturing facilities around the US and Canada (
click here for more on the development and production investment of the next generation small block Chevy).
If history has taught us anything, it is that when the Corvette gets an engine it is only a matter of time before the Camaro gets the same engine so Camaro-faithful can expect to see the new 5.5L V8 in the modern F-Bodies sometime after the C7 Corvette drops.
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