Details are slowly trickling out about the newest member of the Corvette family, and today we have big news. Gm has revealed details of the new Gen V Small Block that will power the new Corvette. This new engine will carry the moniker LT1 and displaces a familiar 6.2 liters.
Don’t let the displacement fool you, this is not some revised version of the current engine, but an entirely new block redesigned from the ground up with cutting edge technology. This new engine features direct injection, active fuel management (read: cylinder-deactivation) and continuously variable valve timing. All this fancy new tech adds up to make 450 horsepower and 450 lb/ft of torque. That power helps to bring the Corvette’s 0-60 sprint under 4-seconds(!) all while delivering fuel economy that will beat the 26 mpg rating of the 2013 car. For those keeping track, that makes this the most powerful, fastest and fuel-efficient base corvette. Ever.
“The Corvette LT1 represents the most significant redesign in the Small Block’s nearly 60-year history – building on its legacy to make one of the world’s best engines even better,” said Sam Winegarden, vice president, Global Powertrain Engineering.
There is more familiar to this power plant than the displacement. For anyone who lusts after a C3 corvette they may recognize the LT-1 as the engine code for one of the more powerful V8s offered in the early years of the C3. In fact there was an LT1 engine offered as late the C4 cars of the 1990s.
Winegarden continued, “More than just great horsepower, the LT1 has been optimized to produce a broader power band. Below 4,000 rpm, the torque of the Corvette LT1 is comparable to that of the legendary, 7.0L LS7 out of the current Corvette Z06. The LT1 is a sweetheart of a power plant and drivers will feel its tremendous torque and power at every notch on the tachometer.”
With equal parts power and efficiency this new Small Block could be a huge advantage for General Motors going forth. The new engine will make its debut in the engine bay of the Corvette, but the Gen V block will quickly proliferate throughout the entire GM portfolio of vehicles including the next-generation Silverado and Sierra full-size trucks.
