The 2015 Corvette Z06 has already made a run through the buff books, storming the 0-60 sprint in 2.9 seconds flat. So what is it like to drive it? Super Chevy editor Jim Campisano went to Road Atlanta to flog the 650-horsepower, LT4-powered C7. And why did Chevrolet engineers go the blown route? Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juchter gives us a hint.
In the below video, Juchter explains the finer points of the most powerful production Vette ever, then goes into the raison d’etre about why the C7 Z06 is what it is compared to the LS7 in the previous C6 Z06. To wit, the Z06 team had originally planned to produce a normally aspirated, high-displacement high-revving engine, but emissions regulations have been pushing manufacturers to forced induction and smaller-displacement engines.
Or, to get it from Tadge himself: “for the size of the package, for the cost-effectiveness, for the durability engine and for emissions requirements, a ‘charged solution was better,” so engineers worked at making the most compact, lightest-weight package they could and used the available technologies and techniques to increase specific output versus the outgoing LS9 of the C6 Corvette ZR1. The result? Arguably a better car all-around. Even if the LT4 engine is more susceptible to heat soak than the LS7.
Get both the commentaries and the track thrashing below.
Comments
Video won’t download. It’s listed as “This video is private”???!!!
Why is this video “private”? Cannot view….
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We’re not sure what happened to the video, folks. It was public at the time of this writing. Unfortunately there’s not much we can do. At any rate, Tadge’s words are still highlighted in the text.