DETROIT — General Motors had intended to keep the wraps on the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 until the super coupe made its official debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, but images were leaked to the media late yesterday, offering the masses an early, detailed look at the ZR1's new power plant.
Beneath the plastic breastplate atop the 6.2-liter LS9 is an assembly integrating a supercharger, intake manifold and liquid-to-air intercooler into a single unit.
Hot, compressed intake air discharges from the supercharger straight up and then splits into two paths. Each flow stream makes a U-turn through an intercooler core and then travels down into the intake ports. A smallish auxiliary radiator will be mounted in the nose of the ZR1 to cool the liquid pumped into the intercooler.
In lieu of the 7.0-liter LS7, Chevy opted for their 6.2-liter block as the foundation of the LS9 for its lower cost and thicker cylinder walls. The latter improves head gasket sealing against the higher combustion pressures found in the boosted LS9.
Although much can be discerned from the three engine photos, horsepower remains a big question. Based on the engine specs and ZR1 application, we're guessing the 6.2-liter will produce just north of 600 horsepower.
What this means to you: You can bet your bottom dollar GM won't rest until the LS9 V8 in the Corvette ZR1 out-powers the Dodge Viper's V10. — Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Beneath the plastic breastplate atop the 6.2-liter LS9 is an assembly integrating a supercharger, intake manifold and liquid-to-air intercooler into a single unit.
Hot, compressed intake air discharges from the supercharger straight up and then splits into two paths. Each flow stream makes a U-turn through an intercooler core and then travels down into the intake ports. A smallish auxiliary radiator will be mounted in the nose of the ZR1 to cool the liquid pumped into the intercooler.
In lieu of the 7.0-liter LS7, Chevy opted for their 6.2-liter block as the foundation of the LS9 for its lower cost and thicker cylinder walls. The latter improves head gasket sealing against the higher combustion pressures found in the boosted LS9.
Although much can be discerned from the three engine photos, horsepower remains a big question. Based on the engine specs and ZR1 application, we're guessing the 6.2-liter will produce just north of 600 horsepower.
What this means to you: You can bet your bottom dollar GM won't rest until the LS9 V8 in the Corvette ZR1 out-powers the Dodge Viper's V10. — Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
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