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 V-8s traditionally found under the hood of the Chevy two-seater.
GM has approved the use of a very European-style V-8 that will be only slightly larger than 3 liters in displacement. The engine will be 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.
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-generation Vette stack up well against the likes of a Porsche 911 or Lamborghini Gallardo.
The engine is likely to be extremely high-revving, perhaps climbing to a near-Formula One-class 10,000 RPMs, suggested one source involved in the project.
The revelation tracks in line with a recent comment by General Motors’ North American President Mark Reuss, who recently promised that the so-called C7 Corvette, due to market in less than two years, will be “completely different” from the very American sports cars that have come before it. Since its launch in 1953, Corvette has been governed by the philosophy, “there’s no replacement for displacement.”
While Reuss and other senior executives have declined to discuss plans for the next Corvette publicly, several well-placed sources have given TheDetroitBureau.com a good sense of what’s to come. The small V-8 underscores what one of those insiders says is the desire to “target a very different sort of buyer for the next Corvette. Let’s face it, the current customer is getting old.” But without making significant changes, that source acknowledged, younger sports car fans will continue to be “conquested” by more modern, high-tech imports.
Significantly, Corvette won’t abandon its more classic powertrain roots entirely. There will be several different types of engines offered for the C7, including a more classic, big-block OHV V-8 designed to appeal to traditionalists.
In fact, some of the design cues of the new car will be borrowed from early generations. There have even been rumors of the C7 going with the split window of the very collectible 1963 Corvette, though TheDetroitBureau.com has not been able to confirm that that particular detail has been given the go.
Meanwhile, expect the interior to be much more modern than the current car’s, which GM’s global design chief Ed Welburn admits “is a disappointment.” The styling boss, a long-time Corvette fan himself, says he is personally overseeing the development of the C7 interior and promises it will be “absolutely world-class.”
Adopting a mid-engine layout, rather than the long-running front-engine design, is considered a strong possibility, though it would be a significant engineering shift for GM. Nonetheless, sources say that wouldn’t be entirely out of line, as the Corvette has often served as the technological test bed for the maker.
GM adopted the then-radical approach of using a fiberglass body when the original 1953 Corvette was launched. The sports car has introduced plenty of other features over the years, including the MagneRide suspension, which uses a magnetically controlled fluid to continuously vary suspension settings to match road conditions and driving behavior.
When migrating from the fifth-generation Corvette to today’s C6 model, GM trimmed weight and brought the sports car’s overall size down to something closer to that of a current Porsche 911. Anticipate further cuts in mass for the upcoming remake of Chevy’s halo car.
GM is investing $131 million in the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant that produces the Corvette to prepare for the C7 launch.
The use of the new small-displacement V-8 is likely to have some knock-on effects at GM, said one source. As with current Corvette powertrain technology, the high-tech engine will find its way into the Cadillac line-up, it appears, where it would help that brand’s V-Series evolve into a more sophisticated offering, rather than the brute-force line-up it is today.
The switch to a smaller, turbocharged V-8 isn’t exclusive to GM, incidentally. Ford made the move with its big F-Series pickup for 2011, offering a downsized EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 — which delivers the same sort of towing power as the F-150′s biggest V-8, while yielding significant fuel economy improvements.
Wonder how much technology we could pull out of the C7 for our little cars?? Personally, I'd love to see a 10k RPM 3.1-3.4L turbocharged V8 mounted in a Fiero in front of a 6 or 7 speed manual gearbox. *IF* they make it a mid-engine beast, I wonder what the possibilities of pulling the whole drivetrain out and dropping it in a Fiero would be...
I don't see this happening. This would be a step down in power from its current old school tech, and likely a step UP in weight because DOHC + Turbo equals added weight and raised COG. Plus it would be costly as hell. On a side note... 10,000 RPM F1 cars? what is this, 1960?
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06:27 PM
Rallaster Member
Posts: 9105 From: Indy southside, IN Registered: Jul 2009
Why not? The engine could possibly be smaller than most of the swaps done and if it's producing 400+ HP stock, think of what could be pulled out of it with some tinkering. Fitting the transmission in may be an issue, with the size it's likely to be, but it's still something I wouldn't rule out.
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06:27 PM
Rick 88 Member
Posts: 3914 From: El Paso, TX. Registered: Aug 2001
The C7 is also going to be smaller, and lighter, than the current car as well. With the smaller engine it will match or exceed the performance of the C6. You will also see Direct Injection in the new powerplant which will improve both power and efficiency. I also understand they are considering a PR engine as a base powerplant for the car as well to keep those buyers hooked on bottom end torque happy.
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07:01 PM
nitroheadz28 Member
Posts: 4774 From: Brooklyn, NY Registered: Mar 2010
I don't see this happening. This would be a step down in power from its current old school tech, and likely a step UP in weight because DOHC + Turbo equals added weight and raised COG. Plus it would be costly as hell. On a side note... 10,000 RPM F1 cars? what is this, 1960?
Agreed
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07:04 PM
ghost187x Member
Posts: 1026 From: El Paso, TX Registered: Oct 2008
I don't see this happening. This would be a step down in power from its current old school tech, and likely a step UP in weight because DOHC + Turbo equals added weight and raised COG. Plus it would be costly as hell. On a side note... 10,000 RPM F1 cars? what is this, 1960?
It would be interesting to have a small cammer v8 as an option, but I don't see it as being the base model engine. With as much potential as there is in the LS series engines it would seem to be an awful lot of added expense and complexity to what is basically a personal luxury coupe. But for a ZR1 level hyperformance coupe, a dry dump 32v V8 with some tricky valve timing, direct gas injection, and turbo charging would make a nice competitor to the Lexus LFA for a fraction of the cost.
A V8 of three point someting liters? All the exoticar manufacturers are going to 5 and 6 liter engines, with the possible exception of Porsche, who's in the upper 3's.
Its due out in two years and they're still considering switching to a mid-engine layout? Not going to happen.
Al this smacks of the usual "New Corvette!!!!" hoopla. A load of smoke & mirrors, deliberate disinformation, and outright lies. Seriously, the biggest complaints about the Corvette are the interior quality, and general bodywork quality. Fix that and you'll have more customers than you can handle. Not that Corvettes are exactly languishing on dealer's lots now.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but Bowling Green hasn't suffered massive layoffs lately, have they?
Even the Top Gear guys put aside their usual anti-American stance to enjoy the current V8, particularly in ZR1 form. Moving further up-market will not increase anything, even profit margin. I doubt you'll find many takers for a $250,000 Corvette. That's never been its appeal.
HOWEVER, only we could appreciate the delicious irony of turning the Corvette into what would basically be a Northstar-powered Fiero.
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08:35 PM
17Car Member
Posts: 482 From: Morrisdale, PA Registered: Jun 2009
HOWEVER, only we could appreciate the delicious irony of turning the Corvette into what would basically be a Northstar-powered Fiero.
Ooh, how bout make that under a different name and keep the Corvette in a more "classic" configuration? Would be the closest thing to a brand new Fiero you could get from GM...
------------------ * 97 Olds Cutlass DD * 86 Mustang SVO Rear Ended, R.I.P (Sold) * 86 Fiero GT, Soon to be Northstar
Ooh, how bout make that under a different name and keep the Corvette in a more "classic" configuration? Would be the closest thing to a brand new Fiero you could get from GM...
There was something closer. Go google "Opel Speedster" It basically was a brand new Fiero.
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10:22 PM
17Car Member
Posts: 482 From: Morrisdale, PA Registered: Jun 2009
Publicity stunt to sell more of the current cars (the same way Mustang sales went up when the Probe was going to be the new Mustang), and to stir up more interest in the car since sales are way down due to the horrible economy. OR an attempt to make a green sports car to appease the PC police and help with their overall emissions compliance. Win-win for GM, not for the purists, who will be put off by it, the people that WOULD have bought the new car, while the people buying Porsches, will continue to do so, because they simply are not the same market.
I for one welcome our new mid-engined, small-displacement, easily swapped-out... What?
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10:37 PM
Khw Member
Posts: 11139 From: South Weber, UT. U.S.A. Registered: Jun 2008
Wow, you search for images of the C7 and there are alot of different concepts and renderings that come up. I must say I kinda like this one. Just it would look better if one rim wasn't so deep and the other so shallow.
[This message has been edited by Khw (edited 06-03-2011).]
Wow, you search for images of the C7 and there are alot of different concepts and renderings that come up. I must say I kinda like this one. Just it would look better if one rim wasn't so deep and the other so shallow.
Wow, you search for images of the C7 and there are alot of different concepts and renderings that come up. I must say I kinda like this one. Just it would look better if one rim wasn't so deep and the other so shallow.
I like the way the hood is vented, but that's about all I like about it. It screams exotic import, not exotic domestic...
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12:06 AM
nitroheadz28 Member
Posts: 4774 From: Brooklyn, NY Registered: Mar 2010
Not that I'd buy another GM product built after 2010.. That said, still think they are dead wrong on the euro sound thing.
Ever hear a Lambo or Aston Martin live? They both have deep throaty sounds.. Even Ferrari works to make theirs deeper.. Nobody likes the 10k RPM f1 honda whine on a regular basis. (If so why didn't the S2000 outsell the Corvette?)
Think we're looking at another "Group think" offering here.. Merican buyers love torque, pin me to my seat, make my gf cry torque.. Sell me a car with 800 hp and 200 lbs of tq and it wont fly, we dont have the autobahn we've got stop lights..
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08:28 AM
ShadowHawk Member
Posts: 376 From: Broward County, Florida Registered: May 2011
Wow, you search for images of the C7 and there are alot of different concepts and renderings that come up. I must say I kinda like this one. Just it would look better if one rim wasn't so deep and the other so shallow.
If that was the new vette, I actually might change my mind about them.
Nick
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01:07 PM
Blacktree Member
Posts: 20770 From: Central Florida Registered: Dec 2001
Originally posted by Zeb: Al this smacks of the usual "New Corvette!!!!" hoopla. A load of smoke & mirrors, deliberate disinformation, and outright lies. Seriously, the biggest complaints about the Corvette are the interior quality, and general bodywork quality. Fix that and you'll have more customers than you can handle. Not that Corvettes are exactly languishing on dealer's lots now.
Yep, GM has been doing this kind of thing since the 1960s. Whenever a new generation of Vette is about to come out, they always threaten to put the engine in the back, and/or drop in a smaller, high-RPM engine (to piss off the Vette purists). Then, of course, the purists say "NO WAY!", and GM gets to keep making the same car.
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02:21 PM
ShadowHawk Member
Posts: 376 From: Broward County, Florida Registered: May 2011
Why not? The engine could possibly be smaller than most of the swaps done and if it's producing 400+ HP stock, think of what could be pulled out of it with some tinkering. Fitting the transmission in may be an issue, with the size it's likely to be, but it's still something I wouldn't rule out.
If they made a mid engine, 10k RPM 3.1-3.4L turbocharged V8 vette I would have no desire to have that engine in something else other than a mid engine vette.
If they made a mid engine, 10k RPM 3.1-3.4L turbocharged V8 vette I would have no desire to have that engine in something else other than a mid engine vette.
Drive it until some arse hits ya and totals it... then swap.
You can get it both ways.
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01:38 AM
blackrams Member
Posts: 31843 From: Hattiesburg, MS, USA Registered: Feb 2003
God I hope not. I personally think those were the worst looking vettes ever.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I agree. Although I think we are in the minority. Never did like the 63 split window. Personally, I think the fad is mostly due to the car's uniqueness and rarity.
Rabid Gibbon bites are also rare but, that doesn't mean I want one.
------------------ Ron
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11:47 AM
Jun 6th, 2011
chriswf Member
Posts: 406 From: Plano, Texas Registered: Jan 2011
V-O-L-V-O MY VOLVO! Tank on empty whippin' my momma Volvo!
K troll mode off... I don't have one, but they make it seem so good :P Oh yeah, and gotta agree there with the European imitation crap. Say no thank you to frequent engine services to prevent "Euro-Style" oil sludge:
[This message has been edited by chriswf (edited 06-06-2011).]
Ooh, how bout make that under a different name and keep the Corvette in a more "classic" configuration? Would be the closest thing to a brand new Fiero you could get from GM...
If that was the new vette, I actually might change my mind about them.
