Instead of the conventional overhead-valve design, the engine will be an overhead-cam and will feature a dry sump oil system that’s appropriate for high-performance road courses instead of straight-line acceleration. It’s likely that the engine will get a narrow 80.5 mm bore and a long stroke, more comparable to a Ferrari or Lamborghini powertrain instead of the traditional Motor City metal approach. A senior GM executive said that the new engine will be turbocharged and this will help yield a broad torque curve and maximum performance in various driving conditions.
The engine will deliver more than 400hp, which means that there’s a specific output in the range of 125hp for each liter. With these figures, there’s no doubting that the next-gen Corvette could be competitive against models like Porsche 911 or Lamborghini Gallardo. A source said that this engine will probably be extremely high-revving and could go up to a near-Formula One-class 10,000 RPMs. General Motors’ North American President Mark Reuss recently said that the C7 Corvette, which is expected to arrive in the market in less than two years, would be “completely different” from its usual range of American sports cars. The philosophy that the Corvette has stuck to since it was launched in 1953 is: “There’s no replacement for displacement.” [via - 4wheelsnews]