The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Will Be a “Screamer,” Hit 9000 RPM

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is getting a high-revving V8 engine that was was originally developed for the Corvette C8.R race car.

The newest iteration of Chevrolet’s venerable sports car has undergone a pretty drastic transformation. In a move clearly intended to put the Corvette on a plane with its supercar competition, Chevrolet shifted the Corvette’s engine, making it a mid-engine sports car for the first time in history.

Now, Jalopnik reports, the Corvette Z06 is getting an impressive new engine.

Apparently, to comply with Federation Internationale de l’Automobile regulations, Chevrolet is required to put its racing engine in 300 road-legal cars.

Thus, it looks like the new Z06 will be getting a high-revving naturally aspirated 5.5-liter flat-plane twin-cam V8 capable of spinning up to 9000 rpm, according to MotorTrend.

The new Corvette engine’s screaming high revs are noted by MotorTrend to exceed the maximum rpms reached by the Lamborghini Huracan Evo, Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, and Ferrari 812 Superfast.

The Porsche 911 GT3 is one of the few competitors for the Z06 that can rev up to 9000.

The Corvette Z06 is expected to produce 625 horsepower, which is actually less than the 650 produced by the previous-generation Z06’s 6.2-liter V8. Nonetheless, 625 horsepower from a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter engine is pretty impressive.

MotorTrend’s sources claimed that the new Z06 engine is “going to be a screamer.” Considering the company it’s keeping, we’re not at all surprised.

MotorTrend also expects Chevrolet to produce a twin-turbocharged version of the 5.5-liter V8, which will likely be used in the Corvette ZR1. That variant of the Corvette is expected to exceed 800 horsepower.