Rumor Mill: V6 Corvette is Coming

[jay daley]

3 liter V-8

You guys have no imagination. Picture this: a 3 or 3.5 liter direct injected, twin turbocharged or supercharged PUSH ROD V-8 making about 425 hp and 400 foot pounds of torque! I personally am fascinated by the prospect of small displacement V-8's.

Concerns about the cost of healthcare "reform" and that GM has become a Government-funded jobs program for the UAW aside....

I think a V8-powered Corvette is going to continue in the near future. I also think the car will continue to be built on the C5/C6 architeture for the next few years. The days of powertrains like the 505-hp LS7 and the 638-hp LS9 will be over at the end of the 2010 model year. What might be coming, engine-wise? How 'bout a 7200 rpm, 5.3L engine with a supercharger and 450-500 hp?

The "C7"? I think that project is dead for now...at least in the form many understood to be under development at GM, a mid-engine car.

How about this for a 2016 Corvette...mid-engine, light weight through use of lots of composites and with a series hybrid powertrain using a gas turbine running on diesel fuel to charge the batteries?