http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/25/n...ment-turbo-v8/

 

Lots of respect for Paul Einstein. But I really don't see GM seriously considering an engine like that.

The original ZR1 Corvette was a one-off engine, and it was a failure.

Like that powerplant, this engine can't be used in any other vehicle and it's going to be uber-expensive to make.

Finally, and most pressing, the only people this engine would appeal to are potential Ferrari and Maserati customers.

The thing is, people who want to buy a Ferrari or Maserati (or any other car in that price class) already know they want that brand before they even walk into the showroom. And you aren't going to convince them to buy a Chevy Corvette. If that's not bad enough, how many Corvette buyers are going to spring for something that likely will cost significantly more than a ZL1.

Put me in the disbelevers column.

 

I basically agree with above.

Of all the unlikely rumors I think this one takes the cake as far as the fewest grounds in reality. If you have followed any GM engine programs I think you will be quick to figure this out.

Consider what they are saying... 3L turbocharged DOHC V8... that could rev to 10,000RPM? Technically plausible, but that would be an expensive engine. It also would be a one off. Even worse, it wouldn't be a one off like the LT5, it would be a pretty radical departure from anything they are even offering right now. It in fact would be quite different than anything anyone else really offers right now as well. It does sound somewhat similar to the 2.9L turbo V8 from the Ferrari F40 (from 20 yrs ago)... but that only rev'ed a little shy of 8000RPM.

Another thing to consider is that production engines have gotten somewhat 'binned' into displacement ranges depending on the number of cylinders they have. Some of this has to do with resulting bore and valve size and airflow, and some of it has to do with ease of balancing certain cylinder configurations. Point being that if GM was really designing a 3L turbo motor it almost certainly will have 6 cylinders, not 8. And then it would more than likely be a V configuration and based somewhat on existing V6 engine architecture. 3L turbocharged DOHC V6 doesn't seem nearly as far fetched as V8 considering GM has already built engines like that... although the 10,000RPM part is still somewhat of a flight of fancy, IMO.

I don't know if the car would actually even get a turbo V6 or not... perhaps that would actually make the car more appealing in Europe, as was the idea in that article above, since they are taxed on displacement. In the US market, who knows. A GenV small block that probably isn't much different in displacement than what we have today is as near a certainty as you can get, and there probably wouldn't be much demand for a low displacement FI motor.

 

Simple math

3.0l Turbo V8 = Major Maintenance headache, extremely expensive, and most likely unmodable or expensive to modify.

10,000 RPM's= A lot of wear and tear leading to short engine life.

I call I would hope GM didn't spend all this money on that engine, unless the plans were for it to go in more than just the Corvette.

 

I wonder how much of the technology could be used from the turbo six going into Indy cars next year....

 

I don't see GM ever building a V8 that is smaller than their largest DOHC V6. What advantage would a V8 that small have over the turbo 3.6L V6? High revs and a V8 rumble at the expense of every thing else.

Could it be possible that there is a hint of truth in this article and that the engine will be a DOHC V6 and not a V8? Could GM get one of their 3.6L to go 10,000rpm? or maybe the 3.0L V6?

 

This story is humorous. I'm shocked that anyone with half a brain would even run it. It almost sounds like someone inside GM was being pressed for info and they spat this out just to "F" with them.

What they're basically saying is that GM is developing an open wheel Indy or F1 motor for the next Corvette.

 

Yes, and it will be assembled by captive space aliens using Area 51 technology.

Seriously, it would be more plausible that the C7 is a hybrid.

 

I don't believe it for a second but it would be cool

 

If GM does this then they may as well build the car out of unobtainium because they're not only going to make the C7 a crummy daily driver... they're going to price it out of the ballpark of most enthusiasts.

 

I could possibly see an engine along these lines in a Cadillac sprung off of the Corvette.

The XLR used the small 4.6L Northstar to make 320hp, & the XLR-V used an even smaller 4.2L Northstar with forced induction to make 443hp but cost $100k USD. I think those cars looked amazing (& some day it would be awesome to swap an LSx into one.)

 

Yeah but one of the other things is that it would probably be "easier" to make it a flat plane V8 (like Ferrari uses) for more crankshaft strength in order to hit that sort of RPM target... at that point the thing sounds like two inline 4 cylinders and you don't get the trademark sound of a cross plane V8.

I think the DOHC part came from someone that isn't too technically inclined... it's like if I told you an engine might have DOHC and then someone else is like "oh DOHC, that's what they use on engines that rev real high" and somehow that means that this engine is therefore going to rev to 10,000RPM.

 

Like I said, I have respect for Paul Einstein. He's been a writer for a very long time, has written a lot of good accurate stories. That website the article is in seems to be run by him almost singlehandedly. As I'm sure Branden will attest from when he started his site (as well as the guys that started this one), that keeps you pretty occupied till it gets firmly established and you have contributors.

But I really question this story. Not to say someone didn't tell him this (false info does come from inside occasionally). But I can tell you from personal experience, there are many deciding editors out there that are far more intrested in getting attention (for magazine sales, site "hits", or filling empty space) than making sure the story is accurate both in spirit and fact.

I suspect IF there is any grain of truth to the article, then it actually is a V6 which would be much more plausable.

The 3.6 already puts out 325 hp (and can be engineered for at least 340). So a GM version of Ford's V6 twin turbo "EcoTec" that could be used in both Camaro and Corvette (and especially the ATS) that puts out the "over 400 horsepower" that the article quotes is entirely realistic.

I still don't put much stock in the 10K RPM rumor though.

 

My perspective is that this motor could have the potential to be revved to 10k. Didn't see anything that stated a hard 10k redline?

As for the motor itself, I could see it used in a european market where generally bigger displacement "low tech" V8's aren't as well liked as these smaller FI engines. I think it would make more sense in that market than the LS9.

With that said, if they indeed are going to make that engine I wouldn't expect it to be sold in NA (much like the small diesels.)

 

The new, purpose-built Chevy twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 racing engine will be developed jointly by GM and Ilmor Engineering of Michigan. It will have an aluminum block and cylinder heads, and will be a fully stressed chassis member supporting the gearbox and rear suspension. INDYCAR’s technical details and specifications will be released at a later date.
...
"GM has become a recognized leader in implementing direct-injection technology in both four-cylinder and V-6 engines by leveraging knowledge already gained from racing. Building on this foundation, our new partnership with Ilmor will give us even more opportunities to accelerate our engine technology. It will help our effort to continue to expand and improve the DI technology for street cars. Indy racing will also let us compete at the cutting-edge of key technologies like safety, aerodynamics, electronics and materials so we can make our vehicles even more efficient, safer, more innovative and, especially, more fun to drive."

http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway...dycar-in-2012/