The slow roll-out of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette borders unbearable as car enthusiasts must still wait until January 13, 2013 to see the real thing.
Today, General Motors has finally held a small press conference that unveils the next-generation Corvette engine - a direct-injection V8 powerplant dubbed Gen V LT1. According to GM, the new Gen V LT1 will be a 6.2 liter engine, debunking early speculations that spawned reports suggesting a 5.5 liter engine like the one in the C6R GT2 racing car.
Promising a power output exceeding 450-hp and 450 lb.-ft. of torque, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juecter said, "The LT1 is more powerful, more responsive, and more efficient than a smaller displacement V8." Juecter adds, "The LT1 is faster, more responsive, and more efficient than a twin-turbo V6.″
GM says the LT1 is 99.9 percent new and promises to be one of the lightest, most powerful, and most efficient V8 engines on the market. While the LT1 still uses the same 4.06-inch bore and 3.66-inch stroke as the LS3 engine and will also retain pushrods and two valves per cylinder, the LT1receives a whole slew of racing derived improvements to push the performance envelope. The new Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) raises compression ratio to an extreme 11.5:1, up from 10.7:1 in the LS3. Improved cylinder heads also feature twisted ports. Finally, spark plugs are moved closer to the center of the combustion changer for more effective ignition.
All in all, the new LT1 engine weighs a whopping 40 lbs. lighter than the 4.4L twin-turbo V8 from BMW, and delivers at least an additional 50 lb.-ft. of torque between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm over the LS3. This translates to a 0-to-60 mph acceleration time dipping below 4-seconds. Finally, LT1's new cylinder deactivation system and new Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) will increase fuel mileage to more than 26 MPG on the highway.
Stay tuned for more information on the all-new C7 Chevy Corvette as we draw closer to the official unveiling on January 13.
