holy jesus thats alot of power

650 horsepower? Me like.

Gm needs to take a page out of Audi's book, and try to make the engines look nice without covering up the entire thing. It should look like a jewel when you open up the hood, not a plastic sled.

Look at that compact, humble engineering GM V8 pushrod...50 years of glory.

Good heavens, that is a monstrous amount of power!!

There's certainly no replacement for displacement especially in this case!

Holy Crap!! Thats how much thrust I use when going down on my dude!!

If they made a flex fuel system, it would be really cool; greeen and muscular. :) It looks like it would be something in a museum since it is - IMO - a work of art. :)

Be afraid, very afraid...

If you're going down on dudes and your name is Jim B., maybe you should be on a different forum.

The real question is potential. FoMoCo supercharged the Modular 4.6L V8 in the Mustang, and the 5.4L V8 in the Lightning and Harley Trucks. The 5.4L was re-tooled for the Ford GT, then re-tooled again for the Shelby GT500.

Ford fans will be quick to tell you just how much un-tapped potential is in those supercharged mod motors. Just running a more aggressive tune and intake/exhaust will yield some impressive results. Throw in a smaller pulley, and you can even greater gains.

If GM builds the bottom ends of this V8 strong, there is no reason hot-rodders won't see similar results with this engine in the 'vette. I would wager that the factory boost on these things should be somewhere between 4-6lbs.

With a slight boost increase to say 8lbs, intake/exhaust and a more aggressive tune, there is no reason this mill can't reliably kick out 750-800 hp at the crank.

With the curb weight of the 'vette, and the torque of a supercharged V8, i bet its a hell of a lot of fun to drive!

And a hell of a task to keep the rear tires from shredding off at speeds less than 90 mph ;-). Go GM go!

"If you're going down on dudes and your name is Jim B., maybe you should be on a different forum."

And why is that? This is a forum about cars, don't see anything stating all people who comment have to be straight. Oh wait, I get it. You're trying to pull a Larry Craig and act completely against it, that way none of us suspect that you're really getting the same thing yourself. Got it.

So, why don't the big American V-8s make more power? Oh wait, 650?!?! Nevermind.

It's too bad they didn't go back to the ZR-1s heritage and design a DOHC motor for it. They could then eventually roll out the DOHC V8 for standard use in the Corvette. The 400 hp LT5 ZR1s can still keep up with the new Corvette's of today. Not the Z06 but the standard 400 hp models. Even the 405hp LS6 Z06's.

I agree, why do they insist on covering the motor with ugly plastic?

Either way, 650 HP sounds great. The insurance companies are going to love this one though.

To David: The reason they don't and can't use DOHC is because the system that turns off half of the cylinders when they are not in use only works with their valve system. (Variable displacement I think is its name)

Ford had DOHC in most of their motors and thats why you have not seen variable displacement from Ford.

@Stukov:

Honda has been using variable displacement in its DOHC motors for over ten years, there is no reason variable displacement would not work with DOHC.

@Jake:

Agreed, insurance on this will be as high as a Mercedes SLR McLaren or Porsche 911 Turbo.

@Morgande:

Supercharged L92 V8s from Australia aren't returning over 600hp without some modification to the bottom end, although many people are running the engine right up to that with no problem. I'd still expect to see a need for more aggressive maintenance at that level though. The L92 is just an LS3 with different intake and exhaust manifolds, so we can expect the LS3 to run similarly.

@PJV:

You mean 20 years of honor, 30 of failure. Is it just me, or have these cars not competed at all against their foreign counterparts since the 70s? Only now are they getting any better, and since GM always manages to make a car just as heavy as the competition even as they use the technically lighter pushrod engine setup, they failed even more.

A 1978 Pontiac Firebird with the V8 has less power than a Infiniti G35, even in lower end torque. Yet, those engines had 6.6L of displacement. A 1999 Camaro has the same power output as a G35 and technically more torque, but the G35 still revved faster thanks to a lighter flywheel.

Only recently have these cars become competitive again, and thats a subjective statement. 50 years of Glory? More like 50 years of absolute sucking.

Sidenote: what the hell is humble engineering anyway? Lazy engineering? IS "humble engineering" even a concept to a real engineer?

Impressive for GM. Not impressive technology-wise. How cutting edge is putting a supercharger on a pushrod V-8? I guess it's OK since it keeps the cost of the vette down. Cant imagine what VVT, quad valve, and the other "normally aspirated" goodies will cost. (See BMW 5.0L 500hp)

what they didnt mention is that in 2009 when gas is 5 bucks a gallon, it'll cost you about 75 bucks just to drive it home...

BTW. My first glimpse of the engine...with all that blue and plastic...reminded me of the engines Briggs and Kohler will put in a garden tractor.

The least they can do is bring back bowtie orange.

"james:
what they didnt mention is that in 2009 when gas is 5 bucks a gallon, it'll cost you about 75 bucks just to drive it home..."

That maybe true, but not many people buy these cars just to use as a commuter car...

Every now and then on the weekends is totally different.

@Allen:

You're comparing a motor from 1978 to a modern one? Those 6.6L sucked because of gas crunch of those years and the emissions crackdown. Changing the camshaft and valve springs easily makes them make a lot more power. Upping the compression also works since those motors had extremely low compression ratios compared to previous and current motors.

And a G35s engine doesn't rev faster than a Camaro's because it has a lighter flywheel. It's because its a smaller motor. Less rotating mass = faster revs. Yes the flywheel plays a factor in that but it has nothing to do with why a V6 revs faster than a V8.

And a 2007 G35 6-speed puts out 293 hp and 260 lb feet. A 2002 Camaro SS (same price range) put out 330 hp and 340 lb ft. The 1999 model was about 5 less. For today's cars though a 2007 GTO put out 400 hp and 400 lb ft. Hmm...which would I rather have? The Camaro wouldn't handle as well as the G35 but the GTO wouldn't be far off thanks to its IRS. Over the holiday a G35 found out just how slow it was going against a 97 Supra TT.

It is ugly...but you can't expect looks and power from a blue-collar engine...even one powering a $100k "supercar".

Put two of these in a car and you have about 300 more horsepower than a veyron.
Of course finding a gearbox, clutch and drivetrain that don't just explode when you put your foot down hard might be a problem....

David:

I'm sorry, but I can look up the specs for the Camaro any day of the week on any model year and the very best, the base model V8 had 305 hp and the top end had 320: check cars.com own research area, google it, or even try wikipedia if it strikes you.

And you are wrong on the G35 as well: there are three versions of the 3.5L, with 275, 293, and 306 hp respectively. And less rotating mass was a given, I did not think to mention it as whatever the Camaro lacked there was made up for by the extra torque.

And a 97 Supra Twin Turbo would blow away both the Camaro and the G35, I agree. Hmmm, even less displacement on that one...

@allen

How about doing some real comparisons. In 78 infiniti didn't exists, but the 280z did. It made about 150-160 hp. In 78 the camaro's l82 v8 made 220.
In 1999 infiniti built the g20 145hp we could also try the i30 190hp or the q45 260. In 99 the z28 camaro made 305hp.

Lets take the g35 now, and compare it to the gto hmmm 298hp vs 400.

Hp wise GM engines have been more than competetive to nissan/infinti.

Nissan sux, the 78 z cars only made 150 hp but this new gto makes 400. the 99 i30 still only made 190hp. nissan hasn't been competitive for 30 years, blah blah blah.

sidenote: What lame comparisons are you going to pick next? Maybe a model t compared to a gt-r? Gaw ford hasn't made anything good, ever. Look at this slow model t, the gt-r can beat it in 1st gear.

i can see how GM sucking for the last 50 years is true. i mean they have never even beenand still aren't the #1 car company in the world! and their quality is so bad too. no one ever relates a chevy truck to lasting 15 years of hard work.

in short, why dont those who are biased to american products stick to their foreign counterparts. drive one of these new corvettes and tell me its stupid.

Whats crazy is the MPG on this car will probably be pretty descent. The current Z06 gets 26 mpg if you keep your foot out of it and that car has 500+ HP.

$100,000 is not cheap but when you compare it to other cars in the same performance category it is a relative bargain and it will SMASH most of the competition. Nothing would be better than smashing the smug owners of exotic cars that cost 3 times as much. You gotta give GM credit for the latest model super vettes, they may have rested on the history of the corvette for too long but they are certainly making up for it. Now if we could get rid corvette owner stigma, 50+ year old man wearing a leather corvette jacket and blue blockers, the corvettes reputation would really go up.

Once again GM is putting out some crazy awesome stuff, and once again the import fanboys get on here and bash it. That supercharger looks amazing, and as an engineer I cannot imagine how they fit that much hardware into such a tight space. There is most likely a very low cap on the maximum boost and airflow that supercharger can push, but the only peeps who should care about that are the modders. Anyways, kudos to GM, and considering the lineup coming out of detroit these days I don't think I'll be buying another import for quite some time.

actually a stock '99 tt supra wouldnt touch a camaro ss. if you banged it just right you might get a mid 13 sec 1/4 mile. camaro z28 and ss could get 13s easily. actually that was the appeal of them. they were straight up muscle cars. just for the facts, cars.com doesnt have all the info. the last year the camaro was made, all v8 ones had a 5hp increase (305-310, 320-325).

the 5.4 wasnt retooled for the gt500. its just a plain iron block that got single plug version of the ford gt's heads. anyways that throttle seems kind of small for the power output. the gt500 and ford gt both have bigger throttles. the stock gt500's throttle is good to about 650hp.

actually a stock '99 tt supra wouldnt touch a camaro ss. if you banged it just right you might get a mid 13 sec 1/4 mile. camaro z28 and ss could get 13s easily. actually that was the appeal of them. they were straight up muscle cars. just for the facts, cars.com doesnt have all the info. the last year the camaro was made, all v8 ones had a 5hp increase (305-310, 320-325).

the 5.4 wasnt retooled for the gt500. its just a plain iron block that got single plug version of the ford gt's heads. anyways that throttle seems kind of small for the power output. the gt500 and ford gt both have bigger throttles. the stock gt500's throttle is good to about 650hp.

You have to remember that with forced induction, the cross-sectional area of the intake passage is no longer linearly proportional to airflow. I'm curious how much boost the stock blower is good for. Frankly I think 650 HP is conservative, or they're running low boost, say less than 6 PSI. Can you say PROM swap for 10 PSI?

Forged billet crank/con rods/pistons and tri-metal race bearings should be good for 800-1000 HP. Hell, I used those in high school and they were off-the-shelf parts. The warranty/safety factor is making them dial the power back. Lingenfelter has been selling reliable 1000 HP kits for years. Check them out at www.lingenfelter.com

They should've supercharged the z06's 7liter...

As usual Allen's Domestic bashing sounds ridiculous. And even a 99 Camaro with an ls1 would work any G35. If anyone thinks the new LS series OHV motors arent high tech look them up, they use a host of new high tech methods in the block, heads, and intake manifold.

I'm not exactly sure why there's always domestic/import flaming going on here. Aren't we all supposed to appreciate good engineering? After all, no one is saying that you have to go run out and buy whatever's posted here.

Personally, I have a 300Z with twin disco potatoes, a 3000GT VR4 (stock), a 3.5L Altima, and a C5 Corvette. The VR-4 is a nice cruiser... the Altima is for driving to work, and on trips... the 300Z is for the track... and the C5 is for the track, and the street on the weekends.

I take issue with anyone who questions the engineering in Chevrolet small blocks. Aside from the tired specific output arguments, most can agree that they are well-built, reliable, provide decent fuel economy (in 6th), and have tremendous aftermarket potential. Personally, I stroked my LS1 to 383 - and ended up with about 380rwhp.

Last year, I decided to swap engines and get a bit more aggressive. I got an LSX block (look it up if you have no idea what it is). I got it prepped to 481ci, with 9.25:1 compression (to allow for a 7psi single turbo). That yields about 625rwhp. Even with a mini-tub kit, and 385s on the back, it takes a bit of work to keep it under control. It's a good problem to have, though :)

Oh... and it's STILL civil and reliable enough to drive daily.

No one can deny the versatility of the GM V8's. Their use is widespread (Marine applications; Mercury V8's and V6's are GM motors, most ski boats have GM motors, for you desert fans 90% of the new breed of sand rail buggies have GM V8's, NASCAR is mostly GM, the off-road racing market is mostly GM and on and on with aftermarket products) Reasons being; less expensive than the competitors, more aftermarket parts than any other manufacture, and most important, they are reliable.

I'm not discounting any of GM's competitors because in this day and age most companies make good products and I wouldn’t be afraid to own products from any of the big 3 American auto makers, but no one can deny the popularity and versatility of the good old GM V8.

Firstly, I was comparing the idea that displacement always equals more power across some time. Everyone always yells "DISPLACEMENT!!!" I'm like "not always."

Now that I am more sober too, lets go over this.

Hmmmm, Chris O, you stroked the LS1 to 383 and only got 380rwhp? What else did you do? I've built up LS series engines before, and thats kind of low....

Also to the LSX, be careful once you approach the 700hp mark. I've heard that a lot of the *recommended* equipment from GM needs swapped out first, and forget about any transmission you will get from them. Be sure to let us know when you go for more (and lets face it, you will, oh you will).

Now Justin, I have seen stock G35s take stock Camaros from those model years, there is more to cars than just hp. Gearing, rear differential, and the driver all play a part of it. A well geared G35 would have an edge in the top end versus the Camaro.

SVT: I agree, but then again, production costs are lower when they do not have to produce two different engines. By just supercharging the LS3, they save money and development time. Supercharging the LS7, however, remains a popular option for some.

Kell: having built up GM V8s before, I take issue with anyone saying "Reliable 1000hp" out of them. By what do you mean "reliable?" As in "weekend warrior" or "everyday usage?" Because I can guarantee from both experience that 1000hp won't be "reliable" in just about any engine on the market. Especially the LS series, thats more of the range of big blocks and I've had plenty of those have a cylinder go down during a race before.

TO my domestic bashing: I bash them because they continuously betray their customers. Two years ago GM told us they would stop badge engineering, and begin offering competitive products. Well, Badge Engineering is alive and well, and unless you actually have $40,000 to spend on a Sunday Vehicle, they aren't all that competitive. Seriously, who would use a Corvette for day to day driving?

Only those rich enough to buy, intelligent enough to build, or dumb enough to buy (and not be able to really afford it) can actually have a dedicated weekend warrior. Thats why I pump cars like the G35, Audi S5 or Lexus IS-F. Those cars all have real everyday usability: the G35 is a competent sedan as well as a good car to have some fun in, the S5 has an incredibly large trunk from what I've seen, and the IS-F is a four door rocket.

Or lets leave the realm of luxury sports vehicles for a second: $41,000 is something not to many people can fork over for a Corvette. But $35,000 for a Subura WRX STi? Its a hatchback for crying out loud: the interior cargo room is absolutely wonderful for long trips, but unload it and its a great sports car. Mistubishi Lancer? A little expensive for what it is, but still way more affordable and it has way more utility than a Corvette. And you can actually fit two kids in the back, have decent leg room up front, and fit a weeks of groceries in the trunk. Unload all of that and its the closest to a rally car this side of a WRX STi you can buy.

In other words, the Big Three still do not offer competitve products. Sure, if you can afford a sports car, the Corvette is actually ok, I've said that before. But most people, in the history of cars, can only afford two in their family. Right now, the only car in the Big Three that makes sense for usage day to day and as a sports vehicle is the CTS, and even its a luxury car. Stoop down below its price level though and forget about finding something like an 350z or RSX. The Ecotec GM vehicles never quite have matched the foreign cars in the same categories for strength in the block, or quality of interior, or exterior styling. They were just like they always have been, second rate.

The best thing a domestic auto maker has right now going for it is GM with the upcoming Pontiac G8. That will be a make or break car: either GM proves itself with that model or people say "V8 gas consumption" and run for the hills. With the manual transmission thats on the way, the idea of being hit with the gas guzzler tax is not to far fetched.

Ford has the Fusion, but other than that, nothing there really gets people pumped.
Chrysler... Chrysler is killing car models off thankfully, but thats all that can be said for it.

Competitive edge is low. Badge Engineering high. Is this 2001 or 2007? Looking at domestic automakers, I wouldn't know.

I still have a few cars that I drive with LS engines in them. I do own a 89 Camaro with an LS1 I swapped in, I drive a 97 Silverado with the 4.3L V6 whenever I'm in Kentucky (used to have a V8, but that engine finally died right at 136,000 miles, could've fixed it but the V6 swap was quicker and no one really drives the Silverado anymore anyway but me). Whenever I'm in Atlanta I drive a 2002 Explorer, which by the way is one bitch of a car, I don't know if anyone else has had as many problems as we've had and most likely not. But whenever I'm in town I'm greeted with "Allen!" followed by some polite conversation that always ends up like this "so, the Explorer is having xxxx trouble, you may want to look at it before you" do whatever the hell I'm in town for. Sometimes, I just show up to fix it. We used to take it to the dealer but its quicker for me to look it at.

*Before I go any further, does anyone know of a good reason that car keeps eating spark plugs? 2002 Explorer XLT, with 86,000-something miles on it by now, driven by a sister-in-law mostly to work everday since they bought it in 2004. Yah thats one of the biggest issues, I keep putting new spark plugs into it, eventually I'll probably spend enough on spark plugs to just of bought a new used Explorer of the same damn year.... I'm not kidding, in 2005 I had to change every plug in the engine three times, once in March, once in August, and once in November. We're using the exact same plugs that Ford uses (at least, thats what my brother tells me he is ordering, I've never checked).*

But what car do I drive, myself? Just my car? BMW 335i. Well, there is the Sequoia, but my dad has had that for months so the 335i is my actual daily driver now. Someone has another car of mine, I cannot remember if its one of my brothers or my ex, probably bad I cannot remember which car that is right now, I'll search my drawer here in a second for the paper work (I haven't seen it in a really long time I suppose...).

I would just like to say that you have to keep in mind the idea of the corvette. It's a muscle car. It should be big and bulky. If it didn't get below average gas mileage I would ask what is wrong. I'd say that from what I have heard about this new vet, its going to be everything it was ever ment to be; a big powerful fast car that has enough room for you and your girl; and thats it. The American dream. Now if you really wanted to go for something that was more family related, don't count out mercedes benz. How bout the new C-class. I think that would be your best bet for a fast, more family friendly car of higher price range.

The ls7 has thin cylinder walls which makes it bad for supercharging.

@unknown:
Ah, where do you get that idea? So long as the engine can properly vent the explosion in the cylinder, by allowing the exhaust valve to open far enough, everything would be alright. It would make it a problem at some point but the LS7 has been supercharged to 650hp before.....

This is all about costs staying down. Once they have the LS9 in production demand for the LS7 is going to drop down quite a bit, and enthusiasts who have money for an Z06 will probably get an LS3 instead and supercharge it themselves.

Allen:
I agree, the dyno'd ~380rwhp for my 383ci sounds kinda low. The main reason is the compression was 1:9.5. I was going to fit the car with some .85A/R turbos at about 15psi (on pump gas), so I was going to need the lower compression. I got into another project, so the C5 stayed at 380... with 1:11, it would have been quite a bit better (N/A).

My LSX is the first LSX I've built, but my dad's shop has built several, from street-ish to insane drag. The blocks are strong, and as long as you pick forged pistons and decent valve hardware you should be fine.

Obviously 1000hp is not going to be "reliable" out of an engine that's under 450ci, but it certainly could be daily-driver reliable in a well build large-displacement engine. Internal stresses aren't all that high in a 9L engine with a light pressure turbo making about 1000hp (at the flywheel). At 625rwhp, my car is no where near that output, and I consider mine to be just as reliable as a stock LS1/2/3/6/7/9 because it's nowhere near its design limit.

As far as unknown's comment... I think he read that elsewhere. Several LS7s have been super/turbocharged, but typically the tune will be rich to keep cylinder temps lower. That would never make it into a factory tune b/c of the light off/emissions/etc. If I were GM, offering a standard length powertrain warranty, I'd probably opt to base the Z07 on the LS3, too. For the guy wanting to build the best engine, caveat emptor, I'd start with the LS7. They're going to carry them forever in their crate engine catalog anyway :)

So anyway...... it's gonna be a pretty cool Corvette.

ok who ever it was that said no one compares a chevy to lasting strong for 15 years, thats a joke everyone looks at a chevy and knows it willl work hard and last forever. Plus chevy also has the best ride stands up to more abuse better. for the past year I have been working with chevy fords and dodges off road, yea sure the chevy stock doesn't have as high of ground clearance as a dodge or ford, but when it also doesn't get stuck as easy and has the power to to go through. and we have had to do many repairs on the fords and dodges, plus the handling on the dodge sucks rear end slides out way easier. the chevy we haven't had to do and repairs to yet. and is still working better than al the other. so meanless to say the chevys rule and dodge and ford suck balls.