CONNOR HOFFMAN
Facebook user Jim Lill posted a video of the C8 Corvette Z06 testing outside of San Diego, California.
We know it's the Z06 because it sounds higher-pitched and smoother, meaning it has a flat-plane-crank V-8.
We expect that the new Z06 will be powered by a naturally aspirated flat-plane-crank 5.5-liter V-8.
C/D has done our share of talking about what the Z06 version of Chevrolet's 2020 Corvette C8 will be like, speculating that it will be powered by a naturally aspirated flat-plane-crank V-8 engine that will provide some satisfying shrieks at around 8600 rpm and develop 600 or more horsepower. We now know this for certain, because it's been spied testing in the mountains outside San Diego, California, and we can hear that flat-plane-crank V-8 sing.
We're so confident that it's a flat-plane-crank V-8 because it sounds higher pitched and smoother than a cross-plane-crank small-block—like a Ferrari. It's most likely naturally aspirated and not turbocharged, meaning it's the Z06, but we can't pinpoint the sound to be certain on that front.
We expect that this engine's displacement will be 5.5 liters. That's what we have been expecting will power the Z06, ZR1, and hybrid variants of the first mid-engine Corvette. However, unlike the Z06, those last two will use a turbocharged version of the 5.5-liter engine. The ZR1 will have a twin-turbocharged engine producing around 800 horsepower. A hybrid model, likely to be called eRay or Zora, will use the twin-turbo version in conjunction with a front-mounted electric motor, a combination that could approach 1000 horsepower.
The reveal dates for these higher-performance models are still up in the air, but we're reassured about our expectations of these upcoming models.
Source: Connor Hoffman for Car and Driver
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