General Motors has confirmed that the upcoming 2014 Chevrolet Corvette, due for market launch late next year, will be powered by a technologically advanced, race-proven 6.2-liter V8 delivering around 450hp.
The next issue of Engine Technology International Magazine – out later this month – will bring you all the exclusive technical details of the LT1 engine, the first of the gen five family of small block powertrains from GM. However, we can reveal now that LT1 will boast several advanced technologies, including direct injection, active fuel management and continuously variable valve timing to support an advanced combustion system.
“Our objective for the development of the all-new LT1 was to raise the bar for performance car engines,” explained Mary Barra, senior vice president for global product development at GM. “We feel we have achieved that by delivering a true technological masterpiece that seamlessly integrates a suite of advanced technologies that can only be found on a handful of engines in the world.
“What makes this engine truly special is the advanced combustion system that extracts the full potential of these technologies. The art and science behind that combustion system make the Corvette LT1 one of the most advanced V8 engines in the world,” said Barra.
Output, performance, and fuel economy numbers will not be finalized until early next year, but the new LT1 engine is expected to deliver around 450hp and 610Nm of torque, creating the most powerful standard Corvette ever. The 0-100km/h sprint will probably take less than four seconds.
Alongside its performance DNA, LT1 will also play an important role in realizing the most fuel-efficient Corvette ever, which is expected to exceed the 2013 EPA-estimated highway consumption of 26mpg.
“The Corvette LT1 represents the most significant redesign in the small block’s nearly 60-year history – building on its legacy to make one of the world’s best engines even better,” added Sam Winegarden, vice president, global powertrain engineering. “More than just great horsepower, the LT1 has been optimized to produce a broader power band. Below 4,000rpm, the torque of the Corvette LT1 is comparable to that of the legendary 7.0L LS7 out of the current Corvette Z06. The LT1 is a sweetheart of a powerplant and drivers will feel its tremendous torque and power at every notch on the tachometer.”
Increased power and efficiency have been made possible by an unprecedented level of analysis – including CFD – to optimize the combustion system, the direct injection fuel system, AFM and variable valve timing. GM says that more than 10 million hours of computational analysis were conducted on the engine program, including six million hours (CPU time) dedicated to the advanced combustion system.
AFM – a first-ever application on Corvette – helps save fuel further by imperceptibly shutting down half of the engine’s cylinders in light-load driving, essentially going from a V8 to a four-cylinder.
For a full in-depth analysis of the groundbreaking LT1 engine, be sure to catch the next edition of Engine Technology International Magazine later this month.
Source : enginetechnologyinternational