The New C8 ZR1 LT5.... The 750 hp

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by Z51JEFF

I don't see anything wrong with a single cam 16 valve arraignment,GM has made it work while everybody else goes with the next phase in motor evolution which of course is DOHC. For years now all the Euro exotics have gone DOHC multi valve the General has been kicking their a$$es with 1 cam and 16 valves.

Well, looking into the crystal ball (aka24 hour Le Manns), we see the best of the best push-rod powered Corvettes struggling/failing to remain on top. Ford, after some hiatus, comes to the event with a new TT DOHC V6 in their mid-engine GT cars and sweeps with a 1, 2, and 4 win this year. The writing is on the wall.

Considering too, the fact that Camaro, Mustang GT, and the "Hellcat" have the horsepower and the state-of-the-art suspension/handling to now be nipping at Corvettes heels, both at the track and price range.

I don't see the Corvette distinguishing itself above that crowd UNLESS the brand puts aside the nostalgic "fuddy-duddy" past and moves to the next higher plateau: mid-engine, AWD possibly with hybrid electric drive, and the ultra-high performance capability the DOHC architecture has demonstrated.

However, to make a clean break to a mid-engine, FI, DOHC, AWD architecture would alienate most Corvette buyers. A strategy to ease into such an conceptual over-haul of the brand would be essential, or suffer the lessons of history, once again.

But, keeping in mind that GM only exists today at the expense of the bond holders and US taxpayers, producing a entire new assembly line for a vehicle that may struggle to be accepted for even a few years will take a serious commitment from GM's business community - which historically is seldom moved to taking such a risk.

Rock and a hard place. It may appear to some that Corvette has painted itself into a bit of a corner. By waiting as long as it has to make a mid-course correction, it is going to take significantly more effort, more of a course correction to remain relevant in the GT arena w/o loosing its base support.

But, in the end, history shows that customers follow the leaders on race day. The results of the Ford GT at Le Manns can't be easily dismissed. But, there is a certain amount of momentum that has to be overcome. So, IF in fact GM is going to make a move to a new platform - one to distinguish the Corvette above the Camaro, Mustang GT, and Hellcat crowd, the sooner the better they bring it out of "building 54" the easier the transition.

V8 vs. V6? The exhilaration of crossing the finish line first has a way of eroding the staunch preference for the number of cylinders it took to win... JMO. Seeing the V6 Nissan GT-Rs kicking butt in the WANNAGOFAST events proves that (to me).

[HADI-ZR1]

The New Ford GT has a mid-engine twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 making more than 600 hp, carbon-fiber construction and body panel !

Paul

I think it's psychological... the Corvette Fans,Owners used to see V8 corvette productions, maybe it is matter of Time to accept the idea
Of v6 supercharged or turbocharged mid-Engine Corvette and deal with it.

[XfireZ51]

The "truck motor" has been wrung out. The king is dead, long live the king.

[LGAFF]

Um, hate to say this but the Ford didn't win the series....Corvette did 1st/3rd.....there was a balance of power adjustment that screwed the vette at Lemans. They took the handcuffs off for the rest of the series...guess who won?



The three most evil words in motor racing have struck the Corvette Racing team at Le Mans. The defending class winners at the legendary 24-hour event have gone from fastest at the recent official test on June 5 to dog slow in qualifying on June 15 thanks to BoP–Balance of Performance.

Thanks to the modern practice of attempting to balance the lap times of different car models though opening or restricting the amount of air feeding each engine, and adding or removing weight, BoP can take a tall, square Porsche 911 RSR and make it perform on equal terms with a low-slung hypercar like Ford's new GT.

Again, BoP can achieve that dynamic when iit gets the air/weight figures correct for each model, and when those numbers are off, a situation like Wednesday night's qualifying session for this weekend's 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans is visible for all to see.

During the test, one Corvette was 0.280 seconds faster than the rest of the GTE-Pro field which also contains Aston Martin and Ferrari. The best Ford was 0.917 slower than the top Corvette.

Leaving the test, the Le Mans organizers took some air away from Corvette's C7.Rs, effectively reducing their horsepower and torque output, and after two hours of qualifying, the true pace of the turbocharged Fords and Ferraris were revealed as the Corvettes stumbled.

THE 0.280-SECOND ADVANTAGE AT THE TEST BECAME A 4.663-SECOND DISADVANTAGE ON WEDNESDAY.
Fords and Ferraris locked out the top seven positions in the first round of time trials as the Corvettes were last in class—positions 13 and 14 in a GTE-Pro field comprised of 14 cars. With Ford showing its full hand, and Corvette hampered by the rule change, the 0.280-second advantage at the test became a 4.663-second disadvantage on Wednesday, and it's safe to say the Corvette team was less than enthused by the results.