Holden showroom’s most powerful engine arrives soon in Australia

Ok, technically that headline isn’t correct ; it’s more truthful to say it’s General Motors Chevrolet’s most powerful engine in Australia.

And in fact it will be the most powerful that has ever sat in a Holden showroom; it is of course the motor in the new performance hero which will be the C8 Corvette Z06, and which is due in Australia by 2022.

The right hand drive version of the C8 Corvette is due to start arriving in Australia from late 2020, and although GM has not confirmed an Aussie C8 Z06, it is only a matter of time and evolution.

With seculated power figures of 600kW / 950Nm, the Zo6 will be Corvette’s most powerful behind only the track-ready ZR1. Even if those numbers are wildly over the top, this would still be the most powerful Chevy ever in a Holden showroom.

Currently, the HSV converted Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is top dog in Holden showrooms, with a 6.2-litre supercharged LT4 V8 producing 477kW and 881Nm. This is the same engine found in the C7 Z06 Corvette.

The most powerful Holden / Commodore-based offering was the HSV GTSR W1, which was also designed to include the dry-sumped LS9 engine from the C6 RZ1 Corvette, was rated to 474kW/815Nm. These were limited number cars and remain in high demand.

According to a number of internet sources, the Z06 project will be codenamed “LT7”, and the engine will be shared with the C8.R race car which will compete in GTE. In order to meet the GTE regulations, (like our V8Supercars), the motor in use needs to be in production and therefore the C8.R and Z06 will share the same motor!

It is also rumoured (by Motor Trend), that the road version of the car will benefit from a pair of turbos and a flat plane crank .. ie no more Pushrods ! Also if true, GM says goodbye to Superchargers!

The move to turbos for the C8 is to take full advantage of the ‘Balance of Performance’ regulations that dictate power for GTE, which favours turbocharged engines like those found in the Ferrari 488 and Ford GT.

Apparently the Motor Trend information source, claimed to be ‘deep’ within the Corvette’s development team, suggests the engine capacity will be well above expectations.

“Everyone thinks it will be a small block, but it won’t be,” says the MT source. “Listen to the race car.”

Like all news that sounds too good to be true, motor sport and performance car enthusiasts need to wait for confirmation. And the confirmation of engine capacity and specs fitted to the Z06 will come when the C8.R is officially revealed later this year.