It seems to me that what ricers don't understand is that these V8 powered sports cars pretty much go as fast as their manufacturers want them to go. A modern stock corvette has as much power as GM wants it to have. If they wanted it to have more, it would have more.
It's like the SR-71 Blackbird. Whenever someone beats the world speed record, they dust it off and beat it again by a few more miles per hour just to stay on top. The ricers get faster, so GM unleashes a little more to stay on top. Doesn't take anything revolutionary from them... they can do it at any time.
Superchargers and turbochargers aren't often added to these beasty V8 engines because they simply aren't needed in order to the make performance numbers they want.
This is great for folks that like to modify these things, because all that untapped potential is sitting right there waiting for you. Where the ricer car is already running near its maximum potential, you haven't even begun. Quadruple digit horses are yours if you want to pay for them (and deal with them). So you can make this platform however fast you like. It's just your choice of how much speed you want and how much money you want to spend.
PS: As I see it, there's a good reason why the General doesn't just go all out with unleashing the full power of these corvettes in stock form. Last time this kind of thing happened (the muscle car era), such actions started an all out war between all the manufacturers which eventually turned out to be very bad for business. Particularly as it pushed the arm of the law into play and really turned the auto industry upsidedown in backlash. I think it is wise that they wish to avoid repeating this history... showing some restraint and moving slowly instead.
- Skant
