C8 Corvette’s Twin-Turbo LT7 V8 To Use Same Architecture As Cadillac’s ‘Blackwing’

A future variant of the Chevrolet C8 Corvette will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 engine dubbed the LT7 by General Motors.

GM Authority reports that range-topping C8 Corvette models will favor turbochargers as opposed to superchargers like those currently used by the Z06 and ZR1 models. CAD images showing the new LT7 engine surfaced in late 2017 and were confirmed to be genuine by the car manufacturer.

Also Read: GM Unveils New Steering Wheel For The 2020 Corvette C8 – A Day After We Did

While the name of the LT7 may lead you to believe the engine is based on GM’s fifth-generation LT engine family alongside the LT1, LT4, and LT5, it’s not. Instead, Chevrolet’s twin-turbo LT7 V8 is said to actually be based on the Dual Overhead Cam V8 engine architecture introduced with the 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 Blackwing introduced by Cadillac. While we are unable to confirm this information, it does make sense because GM would not have given the green light to Cadillac’s Blackwing engine if it was only used by the CT6-V and didn’t go on to share its basic architecture with other V8s from the GM family.

It remains to be seen what the displacement of the C8 Corvette’s LT7 engine will be but it will likely be in the region of 5.0-liters. This will ensure the engine pumps out more grunt than the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 used by the Corvette Z06 and much more than Cadillac’s Blackwing.

Not only is the LT7 expected to power the Z06 version of the C8 Corvette but it may also power even more performance-focused versions, including a potential successor to the current ZR1. With enlarged turbochargers and some kind of hybrid system, the range-topping C8 may pump out upwards of 1000 hp.