A heavily-camouflaged Chevrolet C8 Corvette prototype was recently filmed testing through the mountains near San Diego and could be fitted with the road-going version of the C8.R’s 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 engine.
This clip, filmed by Facebook user Jim Lill and shared online in the C8 Corvette Owners (And Friends) group on Facebook, shows the Corvette speeding through a right-hand bend with impressive pace and emitting an engine note radically different than any Corvette before it. In fact, the prototype sounds more like a Ferrari than it does a sports car that’s born in the U.S.A.
It’s not just the engine that is showcased. As the engineer behind the wheel of the prototype enters the corner, the car’s dual-clutch transmission quickly changes down a gear before changing up a gear as the car exits the corner. It’s likely that the car features a modified version of the eight-speed dual-clutch Tremec transmission of the current Corvette Stingray.
In order for the Corvette C8.R to race with its flat-plane crank 5.5-liter V8 engine, Chevrolet must build at least 300 examples of this engine for a street car. If this engine does find its way into the new Z06, as many believe it will, then it’s inevitable that a lot more than 300 units will be built.
Specifications about the road-going engine remain unclear although we know the C8.R’s powertrain delivers 500 hp and 650 Nm, roughly on par with the 6.2-liter V8 of the street-legal Stingray. We expect Chevrolet’s engine to tweak the 5.5-liter for road use so it delivers closer to 600 hp.
