The 2023 Corvette Z06 has many features that make it a high-performance track weapon, including the available carbon fiber wheels and the Z07 Performance package. However, standing out among even these wild options is the engine itself. The 5.5L V8 LT6 is one of the most mind-boggling engines General Motors has ever produced, and the development timeline reflects this, as engineers have worked for seven years perfecting it.
That’s right, development of the LT6 engine began way back in 2015. For some reference, the 2015 C7 Z06 was launched only a year earlier, while the C7 Grand Sport and C7 ZR1 hadn’t even been released yet.
“We built our first prototypes in September 2015. We wanted an engine that was true to the Corvette DNA and yet unlike any conventional Small Block engine that we’ve done in the past,” said Jordan Lee, global powertrain and engine chief engineer, in an interview with Chevrolet’s New Roads magazine. “So: Double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, unique cylinder block, and a sophisticated dry sump lube system. Small Block history is ‘near and dear’ to Corvette, so we kept our historic 4.4-inch bore center dimension.”
As bespoke as the LT6 is in relation to its small block brethren, GM managed to keep the 4.4-inch bore spacing used in all GM small block engines. Don’t get it twisted though, the LT6 shares no parts from the small block/LS/LT engine platforms. The lack of parts sharing allowed the engineers to go crazy, which lead to the adoption of a dual-overhead-cam (DOHC) valvetrain and a flat-plane crank for sustained high rpm. Additionally, the screamer of an engine utilizes forged-titanium connecting rods and forged-aluminum pistons, and rocks a compression ratio of 12.5:1.
These technologies, along with many smaller details, allow the LT6 to produce 670 horsepower at a sky-high 8,400 rpm and 460 pound-feet of torque at 6,300 rpm. These numbers qualify the LT6 as the most powerful, naturally aspirated, production V8 ever built.
“As GM and other manufacturers navigate toward an all-electric future, it is a boon for customers to have amazing choices in both types of propulsion systems,” said Tadge Juechter, Corvette executive chief engineer, in the same New Roads magazine article. “In the meantime, the Z06 is a glorious celebration of a charismatic high-performance internal combustion engine. The Z06 is a milestone for Corvette and General Motors. Looking back 100 years from now, if people buy one of these and keep it, they’ll be really, really happy.”
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Comments
The Mid engine program started out back in 2008 or there about but they decided to do the C7 till they got through the bail out. This gave them a number of years to run the C8 program along side the C7 will it was ready.
No Corvette has had the time and investment in it as the C8. The end results how the results of this.
Great car and engine! Too bad gm is turning into Karen Motors.
What’s wrong with that? They are profitable compared to the other big 3, giving us new and exciting products that are in profitable markets and heading to the future where most manufacturers are heading. Not to mention they are doing so properly and not just adapting a current vehicle (cough Ford cough) or running decades on dated platforms (cough Fiat cough).
So not sure what that comment is supposed to mean.
They aren’t more profitable. 2 things, inflation and futures
1 inflation, their best years were mid 60’s when adjusting for inflation. Ditto with even just a decade ago. 2013 was way more profitable than 2021 was when adjusted for inflation
2 futures, the pandemic years are terrible gauges for profit as most dealerships had 60-70 days of inventory going in, and now are back ordered. GM had billions in inventory that they sold off and spend nothing into restocking for 2020, and even 2021. In retail that’s called a going out of business sale. Now they are behind in orders and they have to dump massive amounts of money into production.
I dont envy their financial situation at all. What makes this worse is with the recession deepening, what really helped last time was having tons of trucks and cheep cars they could sell at cost to keep the lights running. They don’t have that now, and last time they went bankrupt.
All this parading about “record profits” is the equivalent of keeping the band on the titanic playing while it’s sinking. You can play games with numbers all day long like FTX, but that doesn’t pay the bills
“Karen Motors”? Please explain.
They are making Honda clones with EV drivetrains for middle aged and old women. That’s fine, makes money, and is needed, but they are leaving out a lot of people, too. They aren’t leading on anything here, other than lobbying FOR government to mandate EV’s for them.
you are going to love the Corvette branding on 4 door SUV’s then when they decide pull a Mustang on the Corvette name. I just hope they offer a Camaro replacement with reliable drive line and 2+2 arrangement
I’ve given up on gm. A Camaro without the OPTION for a V8 isn’t something I want. I would be 100% onboard with a V8 AWD hybrid option.
Other than the C8, there is NOTHING exciting about any of gm’s new vehicles or announcements. A bunch of EV’s, no more V8’s, end of the Camaro. “gm” is just into making Honda clones that are electric, yawn.
I have to confess I was not a big fan of Corvette before 2020 but they really hit a home run with the C8. And like many of you I am also impatient and pissed off by the production delays on my 8-month wait to order my MSRP Stingray build. I don’t see any discussion or PR updates on how GM plans to solve the production delays. Why is that?
And don’t write back and say,
‘They don’t care’ either 😂