Our spies had us brushing up on our spotting skills and turbocharger and supercharger knowledge-base after they took some fresh shots of a 2016 Cadillac CTS-V prototype and noticed that the car features what look like a pair of intercoolers behind the two side intakes on the front bumper. This lead them to believe that it could equipped with a twin-turbo V8 and not the Z06’s supercharged V8 as initially speculated.
“After showing these photos to a few engineers, the consensus was that we were likely seeing a vehicle with a turbocharged powertrain, featuring two air-to-air intercoolers,” our spies told us.
Now, while many supercharged engines lack an intercooler, the new Corvette Z06’s 6.2-liter V8 actually combines two with the 1.7-liter Eaton R1740 TVS supercharger.
According to GM’s statement on the +625hp Z06, “the mesh pattern on the front fascia was painstakingly designed to deliver the most possible airflow to the supercharger’s intercooler heat exchanger”.
As for the Corvette Z06’s hood vents that are also present on the CTS-V tester, GM says they vent “hot air from the engine compartment and contributes to downforce by allowing air driven through the grille to exit through the hood rather than being forced under the car, which could create lift.”
More crucially, GM states that the Z06’s “intercooler blocks [plural] are packaged outside the supercharger and are 23 percent smaller than those in the LS9″
Obviously, we won’t get a direct answer from GM in regards to the next CTS-V’s engine, but the existence of twin intercoolers doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a turbocharged unit as the supercharged V8 may also feature them.
If it’s a supercharged unit, it should be the 6.2-liter V8 from the Z06, while if it’s a twin-turbocharged mill, it could be GM’s upcoming 4.5-liter V8 that was previewed on the Elmiraj Concept.
What do you think?
By John Halas
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
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