Pallet Carrying LT7 Name Foreshadows C8 Corvette ZR1 Engine

GM is developing a fresh twin-turbo V8 to power the upcoming C8 Corvette ZR1, and now, a new image just hit the web foreshadowing the imminent arrival of the ZR1’s boosted LT7 engine.

For those readers who may be unaware, the forthcoming C8 Corvette ZR1 will offer ultra-high performance both on the road and on the track. The heart of the ZR1 will be the new twin-turbocharged 5.5L V8 LT7 gasoline engine, a boosted variant of the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 cradled by the 2023 Corvette Z06.

The new C8 Corvette ZR1 is expected to launch late in 2023 for the 2024 model year. As such, the ongoing development of the new twin-turbo 5.5L V8 LT7 doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Nevertheless, a new image posted on Corvette Forum confirms suspicions that the new LT7 is indeed currently in the works.

The image shows a new 5.5L V8 LT6 sitting on a wooden pallet at the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky. Critically, the pallet is marked “LT6 Gamma, LT7 Beta,” confirming the ongoing development of the new twin-turbo 5.5L V8 LT7.

Official specs from GM are obviously unavailable, but at this point, there’s plenty of intel we can point to when it comes to expectations surrounding the new LT7. Peak output, for example, is expected to hit around 850 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque, with the LT7 arranged in a dual overhead cam configuration with 32 valves. It’s also worth mentioning that despite its LT designation, the LT7 will in fact have nothing in common with GM’s fifth-generation Small Block overhead valve (push-rod / OHV) engine family.

Critically, the LT7 will also find its way into the upcoming C8 Corvette Zora, which is expected to debut about a year after the launch of the Corvette ZR1 and will produce roughly 1,000 horsepower with hybrid electrification.

SOURCE: GM AUTHORITY