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Report: Next Chevrolet Corvette to get 440-hp 5.5-liter small-block V8
Autoblog

According to Motor Trend, which is citing unnamed sources within General Motors, the next-generation Corvette will come with a brand-new engine. Despite rumors to the contrary, it seems that Chevrolet's halo vehicle will continue using its trademark V8 engine and not a V6. Still, the C7's powerplant will be downsized from its current 6.2 or 7.0 liters.

It's likely that this new engine will be the first application of GM's next-gen small block family, and we'd expect it to sport direct injection, E85 capability and a new combustion system design. One thing not to expect, though: overhead cams. You can bank on the fact that The General will stick to its tried-and-true overhead valve design, which serves to lower manufacturing costs and allows for comparatively small overall engine dimensions.

All of these technologies should make the venerable V8 more fuel efficient and cleaner, but also sufficiently powerful to uphold its sportscar heritage. In fact, Motor Trend reports that the C7's V8 will displace 5.5 liters while hammering out 440 horsepower. Though that significantly smaller in displacement, the power figure would actually be up from the current 430 ponies. We can hardly wait... but we'll have to anyway. We don't expect the next Corvette to bow before 2012 at the earliest.

*Sorry for the double post, looks like someone else saw the same article LOL

BluegrassMotorsport

Hopefully they drop that new engine in something that looks better than the concept pictured for the article lol.

But in all seriousness, DI is finally happening for the Corvette, and this thrills me. That means even better mileage, which means less upset people at the CAFE.

Michael A

A smaller, more efficient V8 with more power sounds good to me.

Thankfully, it is not coming with a V6. That would just be un-American, and ruin the entire character of the car.

Michael

Jinx

Three twenty-seven.

Solid LT1

I hope if it is a direct injection motor that GM can come up with a solution to all the valve fouling the current crop of DI motors is having trouble with otherwise, hang on to your C6, the power of the new DI motor will fall off rapidly within months of purchase.

Be careful what you wish for

RIGHT WING TEABAGGER

I find it hard to believe the next version vette will have only 440hp. I know the Z28 will be heavier but it will have at least 550hp supercharged. Do people really think the vette will be just 440hp? I am guessing it will have over 500hp.

Indy

The Vette will be a lot lighter than the Camaro...but I do agree...I think there will be more than just 450hp...when the c6 came out, it had about the same rating as the C5 Z06...so hopefully the C7 will have around the power of the C6 Z06.

RUGBY

I have to believe, the vette will have closer to 500hp

Jinx

C6 debuted with 400hp... and we were disappointed. Sure, it was 5hp shy of the C5 Z06, but the top-dog Mustang was 425hp, nevermind that it was heavier and not actually faster, and there was much complaining and hand-wringing... soon forgotten in the orchestrated hype over the new Z06.

C5 debuted with 345hp, just 15hp more than the previous year's Grand Sport, and with underrated F-Bodies nipping at its heels.

C4 debuted with... a carryover engine, and after that it wasn't exactly leaving everyone behind in recovering horsepower lost to emissions requirements.

Quibble if you like, but C7 isn't going to be knocking on 500hp's door when it debuts. Especially not in the shadows of "Government Motors" and greenie chest-thumping and loathing of internal combustion and excess consumption.

C7's press kit will crow about doing more with less, a tidier sports car that makes its performance marks with engineered efficiency, not brute force.

When C7 bows, the excitement will have long worn off Z06 to the point that it's forgotten -- indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if Z06 was discontinued a model year early -- and ZR1 will be a $120k special edition beyond reasonable comparison. The media-spoonfed comparisons will be to the C6 Grand Sport and the base 911, and even a 425hp C7 will do fine against those benchmarks.

The base Corvette has long been just powerful enough. Expect that story to repeat itself for the 2014 model year.

What happens beyond that depends on a lot of things.

.Jinx

RIGHT WING TEABAGGER

I don't buy into that garbage. People were using that to predict the end of all muscle cars and that has not and will not happen. We have the Z28 coming out after GM was bailed out. I am sure the Shelby KR when it comes out will be 600hp.

Jinx

Yes, on your seventh post you pull one phrase out of context and use it to throw me in with the nuts predicting the end of all performance cars. Thanks, Winger. GM is not going to give the base Corvette 60hp more than it needs to be competitive at launch. The old GM wouldn't have done it, and the New GM really won't do it, not only because it's premature escalation, but also because they are more sensitive to their image and the political climate.

Look, a 425hp 3100-lb Corvette still increases the power-to-weight ratio over the C6. At 440hp it's a pretty significant improvement. More than that is overkill, invites negative backlash from the car-hating dorks and slow their return to the radical margin, and makes it harder to differentiate the higher-performance (and likely higher profit) models that will follow.

.Jinx

RIGHT WING TEABAGGER

I was not trying to throw anything at you. I was just reffering to the chatter that the GM being bailed out will cause the end of performance cars. Well will see but I personally think the next vette will be at least 500hp at launch.

blackvette101

Does anybody want to guess what the new advanced combustion design is going to be. I'm guessing HCCI.

I Bin Therbefor

If they cracked that one, GM has really pulled one off, way ahead of the rest of the industry.

Please remember GM's marketing's ability to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

I doubt that there will be anything "new" in the new advanced combustion design .

I expect a cost effective repackaging of existing technology.

What are the suppliers to GM saying?

blackvette101

Yeah its probably nothing although you never know. If anything they will just run the motor super lean with direct injection and put a fancy name on it. Thats what they did on my regular car the direct injection cobalt SS they had it running 14.0 AFR at WOT. However I just read an article that was written exactly 2 years ago stating how GM had gotten HCCI to work at idle speeds so you never know what they have now, I imagine when they became government motors that R&D was moved way up in priority. They would love that PR of a green corvette.

Runge_Kutta

The Gen V small-block with have a significantly higher thermal efficiency than the LS3. That means mileage goes up. If C7 comes out with 450HP in the base model and the mileage is significantly better than the base model C6, people will be impressed. By the way, look at the 3.6L V6 with DI. It is putting out ~84HP/L. At 440HP and 5.5L, we're only at 80HP/L.

I like your estimate of 3100 pounds. The aluminum frame in C6 dropped 140 pounds off of the car. I bet the base model drops 200 pounds or so with an improved aluminum frame. That'll be a challenge if all cars use the new high-temperature magnetorheological fluid-filled shocks.

tonypittman

Guess I'll hang on to my 427 for a while then.

humvet

QUOTE=Indy;1574585221]The Vette will be a lot lighter than the Camaro...but I do agree...I think there will be more than just 450hp...when the c6 came out, it had about the same rating as the C5 Z06...so hopefully the C7 will have around the power of the C6 Z06.[/QUOTE]

That makes perfect sense. Then the C8 will be electric and kick Tesla's a$$

McGirk94LT1

Still confused why everyone is complaining that its "only" 440 hp when over half of vette owners bring their to redline once in their life. Not to mention it is still gonna faster then the current gene which is their goal, improve on the the current product. And why does everyone think its going to be more when its a relatively small OHV? That efficiency compared to the 3.6 is pretty darn good. Its a pushrod, which isnt nearly as efficient as a DOHC engine so considering they downsized, gonna get better gas mileage, and still make that much power is impressive.

I Bin Therbefor

"The next generation small block engine family will have unprecedented fuel efficiency through direct injection and an all-new advanced combustion system design. The new engine family will rely exclusively on aluminum engine blocks, which are lighter and contribute to the improved fuel efficiency. In addition to being E85 ethanol capable, these engines are being designed with the capability to meet increasingly stringent criteria emissions standards expected throughout this decade."

So, direct injection for sure.

All-new advanced combustion system design of unknown type at this time.