2022 C8 Corvette Z06 To Get New, 800 HP Flat-Plane Crank V8?

Reports on the C8 Corvette Stingray getting an 800 HP version have been floating since before the official reveal, with GM said to be working on a new twin-turbo V8 engine for the upcoming Z06.

The latest news come from Motor Trend, which quotes a “deep source on the Corvette team” saying that both the new Z06 and C8.R race car will be powered by a new, flat-plane crank, twin-turbo, dual-overhead-cam V8.

“Everyone thinks it will be a small block, but it won’t be,” said the unnamed source. “Listen to the race car.”

Also Read: New Corvette Z06 Reportedly Coming In Late 2021 With 800 HP

The new flat-plane V8 means that it will not only produce a more exotic soundtrack but it also will rev higher and more freely, thanks to its smaller, lighter crankshaft. The new powerplant is said to produce 800 HP and 700lb-ft of torque, and if true, it will make the C8 Z06 the most powerful Corvette ever produced.

However, if you take into consideration that the base C8 Corvette offers 495 HP, giving the Z06 model that much power leaves a huge 300 HP gap in the range and that sounds a bit… off. Dropping the 800 HP engine into the ZR1 version instead and positioning the Z06 somewhere in the middle certainly sounds more… logical?

Motor Trend also links to a spy video of the Corvette C8.R race car, which sounds extremely pleasant, high-revving and angry but you can’t really tell with certainty if the engine has a flat-plane crank or not.

Chevrolet is planning to launch the twin-turbo V8 version of the C8 Corvette in late 2021, but luckily we won’t have to wait until then to find out if the all-new engine is coming or not, as the C8.R race car is expected to be launched in the next few months.