That dual-clutch transmission shifts quick, and the engine sounds good too.
Here’s a top tip for all our Motor1.com readers hailing from the southeast Michigan area. Keep a camera handy, especially if you’re out and about for car events because, as we’ve seen repeatedly in the last few months, Chevrolet is not shy about hitting the road with its fleet of C8 mid-engined Corvette prototypes. The latest sighting came from – you guessed it – Michigan by YouTuber Peter Calcaterra, who attended the big Lingenfelter Cars & Coffee event held in Wixom over the weekend. Aside from being the location for Lingenfelter’s build center, Wixom isn’t far from the infamous Milford Proving Grounds, which is prime hunting ground for cool camouflaged GM prototypes.
There’s no indication this particular C8 prototype was involved with Lingenfelter, which has a long history as a tuner for GM products. Nor was it apparently trolling the show – it was spotted on the road at some point after the Cars & Coffee event and though the video doesn’t show anything new, we clearly hear the C8’s engine and lightning-quick shift at the very end of the clip. The driver doesn’t fully let it rip, but there’s definitely a snarly exhaust note that doesn’t sound like the 6.2-liter pushrod V8 used in the current C7 Corvette.
The engine is currently one of the more debatable points about the forthcoming C8. We’ve heard conflicting reports from two sides – both equally passionate – that the new Corvette will launch either with the familiar 6.2-liter LT1 or a new DOHC V8. The former is an all-aluminum, naturally-aspirated mill that makes 460 horsepower (343 kilowatts) in the current Stingray and Grand Sport, and its compact design could work well in the tighter space of a mid-engined supercar. Nothing official is known about the DOHC engine, other than it’s likely based on Cadillac’s Blackwing and could make upwards of 500 hp (373 kW). It’s also possible the LT1 – if it’s used – could be tweaked to hit that power level. As to which side is correct, we’ll have to wait a few more weeks until the car is officially revealed.
We do know the mid-engined C8 will get the DOHC engine eventually, and with far more than 500 ponies. In fact, this prototype with its batwing spoiler and thicker body camouflage could be one of the amped-up versions utilizing a boosted V8 with 700 hp (522 kW). Something even more insane – possibly a hybrid with 1,000 combined hp (746 kW) – is thought to be in the pipeline for a debut sometime in the next few years.
For now, the wrap will come off the long-awaited mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette on July 18.
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