Whoever said V8s are dying forgot to tell General Motors, which today revealed its sixth-generation small-block in the new Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.
Set to power not only the special edition Grand Sport but also later be added to the Corvette Stingray – the most affordable variant in the sports car’s lineup – the new-gen V8 has been named the LS6, and boasts healthy improvements over its LT2 predecessor.
Displacing 6.7-litres, the LS6 half-a-litre larger than the 6.2-litre LT2 which currently powers the Corvette Stingray, retaining the same 103.25mm bore but expanding its stroke to 100mm, up from 92mm.
The LS6 also features a 13:1 compression ratio, an increase from the LT2’s 11.5:1, while the broader Gen VI small-block will be characterised by an aluminium block with cast-in iron cylinder liners.
In the Corvette, the LS6 gets a new lubrication system, forged pistons and rods, revised exhaust manifolds, a 95mm throttle body and a tunnel ram intake.
What results is an engine which produces 399kW and 705Nm. For context, the LS2 in the Stingray produced 365kW and 630Nm as standard, or 369kW and 637Nm with Chevrolet’s performance exhaust system.
In the C8 Corvette, the arrival of the LS6 brings the option of a quad centre-exit exhaust for the first time in this generation’s Stingray, despite this being the setup of choice for the flat-plane crank, quad-cam powered Z06, ZR1 and ZR1X.
“There is no replacement for displacement!” said Mike Kociba, assistant chief engineer of the sixth-gen small-block V8.
“Our next generation LS6 engine pushes 409 cubic inches of jackhammer fury through the tailpipes. Combining large displacement, modern technology, and proven small block V8 heritage will deliver a bold new chapter in performance.”
While the C8 Corvette’s LS6 will be built in Flint, Michigan, other variants of the V8 will be made in Buffalo, New York and St. Catharines, Ontario, depending on what vehicles they’re going into. Previously GM said it was investing US$1.7 billion (A$2.7 billion) into its US V8-building plants alone.
Australian and US executives have previously committed to keeping V8s alive locally for as long as it is economically viable, or until regulations forbid them from doing so.
“We’ve always said and maintained the customer is our priority,” General Motors Australia Managing Director, Jess Bala, told Torquecafe in May.
“We put them at the centre and as long as customers keep telling us they want that powertrain in that particular vehicle, we will keep bringing it to market.”
Discussion about this post