Swiftrider08

Checking a few other Vette sites and ran across this story. I am not one to speculate or discuss rumors, but I found this to be very interesting and have not seen a word about it here on the forum.

Bottom line is we will not know anything for sure until the official announcement, but wonder what you all think?

Looks like this article was from May 25th according to the Detroit Bureau website.


In an article today, entitled "Next Corvette to Target Euro-Supercar Fans With Small, High-Revving Turbo V8," the DetroitBureau.com website states the following:

"Anxious to attract the sort of high-performance buyers increasingly drawn to European sports cars from the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, General Motors is planning some major changes for the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette – starting with a high-revving, small-displacement powertrain, that will substitute for the big V8s traditionally found under the hood of the Chevy 2-seater.

Citing highly placed GM executives, the Bureau claims:

"GM has approved the use of a very European-style V8 that will be only slightly larger than 3 liters in displacement. The engine will be of an overhead-cam, rather than traditional overhead-valve design, using a dry sump oil system that’s particularly well-suited to high-performance road courses rather than straight-line acceleration. The engine is expected to feature a narrow 80.5 mm bore and a long stroke, more like a Ferrari or Lamborghini powertrain than the approach used for traditional Motor City metal.

The article continues:

A very senior GM executive also confirmed that the new engine will be turbocharged, which will help yield a broad torque curve and maximum performance under a variety of driving conditions. The engine is expected to deliver in excess of 400 horsepower, which means a specific output in the range of 125 horsepower per liter. That’s the sort of number that would help the next-gen Vette stack up well against the likes of a Porsche 911 or Lamborghini Gallardo.

gunterwalker

Haven't seen anything about that. Wonder how much of that is true.

jschindler

Let me get this straight, GM is willing on pissing off 30,000 plus (before the crash) Corvette buyers a year to attract a very small percentage of people who MIGHT (but won't) crossover from cars that even if every buyer of those makes switched would only make up about 20% of Corvette sales. And they think that buyers of $200,000 + Ferrari's are going to flock to a Corvette?

If it's true (which I'd bet money it's not) it would be the single stupidest marketing decision I've seen in the auto industry since GM came out with the Aztec. That they might be experimenting with such an engine would not surprise me - but I'd believe a 3.0 liter V6 far more than I'd believe a 3.0 liter V8.

KBow_Photo

posted last week

Swiftrider08

I have to agree with you. This has to be about the dumbest thing I have seen yet to be mentioned about the C7. I really hope this does not signal the end of the Corvette as we know it.

Swiftrider08

Thanks for the input, but I did not see it posted last week. Got a link?

keyplyr

Vette_DD

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-turbo-v8.html

That's why the forum has a search function.

LTC Z06

You know why Europeans buy Vettes, because it has an American V8 in it. If you're not unique what's the point?

DJackman

As long as it's a V8, I will still buy the Vette.

S'vette

I bought my vette for the big V8 and love it. If they go supercharged or turbo with a 3.0 then I would probably buy a V6 FId car then.

Rocketmanwpb

Right now the next power-plant appears to be the 5.5 ltr direct injection normally aspirated V8 now in use by the Corvette racing team.

S'vette

How would the hp/tq curves look compared to the current engine? I had a 370Z before the vette and it was fast and all but you had to get it into its rpm range to have the power. With the V8 its kinda always there even tho there is more in its rpm range too. So Im wondering if the 5.5 will have to be revd to get its power?

Swiftrider08

That's the info I had been hanging my hat on until I saw this. We have been talking about the 5.5 for a year now.

Swiftrider08

Duh. Never thought of the search function. One in every crowd, or in this, case two!

Search only responds to the words you type in, but you know that, your an expert.

cmonkey713

I'm waiting on the C-7 with great interest myself. Rumors nothing but rumors. We should see in about two years.

Mike, glad to see you post, it has been a while.

C3-PO

if they change the "gills" to the 3-porthole configuration, the could call it a Buick! remember the old turbo 235 cu in. V-6? it would be the new "Regal Grand Sport".

OnPoint

3 liter V8? Pistons would be about the size of the cap off a large aspirin bottle.

LT1 Z51

Excuse me while I go laugh uncontrollably.

Media = Clueless

LMB-C6

My thoughts exactly. People who buy Porsches and Ferraris are generally not Corvette type folks - you can redesign, re-engineer and do whatever you want to it, it's still a GM product, and that's why they aren't buying it.

I sincerely hope they don't pull a boneheaded marketing move and alienate their bread-and-butter base.