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.
Related: Fully Camouflaged Chevy Corvette C8 Prototype Raises More Questions Than Answers
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 480 lb-ft (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.
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