New Corvette C8.R’s 5.5L Flat-Plane Crank V8 Coming To A Production Model Too

Chevrolet has confirmed the Corvette C8.R’s new 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 will be offered in a forthcoming street car.

The American car manufacturer unveiled the C8.R last week alongside the Corvette Convertible but failed to detail its powertrain. However, videos of the race car revving gave us a good inkling that it featured a flat-plane crank and yesterday, confirmation came that the race car does indeed use such a powertrain.

Power from the 5.5-liter V8 sits at 500 hp and 480 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque, figures roughly in line with what you’ll find in the road-going Corvette Stingray and in line with IMSA and FIA Balance of Performance measurements.

Also Read: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R To Battle It Out With European Racers

Arguably even more exciting than the fact that a Corvette race car with a new flat-plane crank 5.5-liter V8 will soon be racing at tracks around the world is confirmation that under FIA rules, Chevrolet will have to produce at least 300 examples of a version of this engine for a street car. Yes, that means a future street-legal variant of the C8 Corvette will use a V8 with a flat-plane crank, Jalopnik reports. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 had better watch out.

It remains to be seen if this engine will remain naturally-aspirated when it is built for the road. If it does then it is unlikely to be used by the next Z06 or ZR1 as both these models are expected to deliver more than the 650 hp and 755 hp that they did in C7 for. Perhaps a new Corvette Grand Sport with this bespoke engine? Sounds good to us.