Quote:
Originally Posted by 2cnd chance
So what are we guessing regards the ZL1 & Z/28?
|
My guess? The Z/28 will continue on as the 'Camaro Z06', and come with the LT4 V8 just as the C7 Z06 does. The ZL1 will cease to exist.
My hope? GM continues along the same lines as they did with the 5th gen, doing both an high-powered (LT4) ZL1 and a moderately powerful (but track focused) Z/28 with a naturally aspirated V8.
If they go with door #2, here's whats floating around in my head right now. The LS7 is (was) a great engine, but its biggest flaw is its cost. Part of the problem is limited use, but I'm thinking that its unique block didn't help things. Well, that and the fact that it was hand built.
What if they made a new high performance NA V8 a little smaller than the LS7 ... where the extra displacement (over an LT1) came from taking an LT1 block, then stroking it out to 6.7 or 6.8L? That would be about the same stroke length (actually slightly less) as the LS7 but it shouldn't require a brand new block. Spin it out to 7 grand like the LS7, though you might not need to go that high. Give it a slightly more aggressive tuning than the LT1 and I can see it producing somewhere around 550 hp with around 500 ft-lbs of torque.
By cutting a few corners, the cost should come down substantially. It would certainly cost more than an LT1, not much though, but should be far less expensive than an LS7 -especially if they produce it on a regular assembly line. It could find a home in Corvettes (or Camaros) as an independent engine upgrade or as part of gap-bridging model between the regular C7 and the Z06. A slight variant could even do well as a truck engine, perhaps as an alternative or replacement for the 6.2 in the HD trucks. And while we're at it ... I don't think there are many Escalade buyers that would be opposed to having another 100 hp or so in the big daddy Caddy.