Chevrolet announces 10.4L crate V8, Z06 almost ready

CHEVROLET is embarking on a performance onslaught this month with the launch of a monstrous 10.4-litre V8 crate engine and the imminent reveal of its new-generation C8 Corvette Z06.

As one would expect, the new crate motor is far from short on power… 749kW at 6600rpm and 1188Nm at a peaky 5600rpm, enough to comfortably make it the biggest and most powerful crate motor offered by ‘Chevy’ to date.

For those that prefer imperial, that’s 1004hp/876lb-ft.

Officially dubbed the ‘ZZ632/1000’, this monster bent-eight comes with a recommended redline of 7000rpm and is fed by eight identical port injectors and breathes through CNC-machined high-flow aluminium cylinder heads.

The exhaust ports are identical too with the ultimate goal being for every cylinder to produce as similar amount of power as possible.

Cast from the same mould as the ‘smaller’ ZZ572 crate engines, the ZZ632/1000 features a bigger bore – 116.8mm – than its lesser counterparts with the extra capacity primarily coming from its longer stroke – 120.7 vs 111.2mm.

The stroke is so much longer that engineers say they’ve had to modify the block and connecting rods with four-bolt main caps and a forged rotating assembly added to ensure strength and durability. 

“This is the biggest, baddest crate engine we’ve ever built,” General Motors performance and racing propulsion team director Russ O’Blenes said.

“The ZZ632 sits at the top of our unparalleled crate engine line-up as the king of performance. It delivers incredible power, and it does it on pump gas.”

There is a caveat though for anyone wanting to rip out their LS engines and (massively) upsize… Chevrolet has specified the ZZ632/1000 is aimed strictly at track and racing use.

“This engine is designed and intended for use in vehicles operated exclusively for racing competition or organised competition on courses separate from public streets or highways,” it said in a statement.

“Installation or use of this engine on a vehicle operated on public streets or highways is likely to violate US, Canadian, and state and provincial laws and regulations related to motor vehicle emissions.”

If this disheartens any street performance fans, fear not, because the track-honed by road-legal Corvette Z06 is about to be revealed.

Chevrolet will tear the covers off its latest performance hero via a 30-minute reveal film on October 26.

The Z06 Corvettes have long been some of the most track-capable variants and that trend is set to continue with the C8 version thanks to the rumoured 5.5-litre flat-plane crank V8 developing 466kW/651Nm. 

Earlier this year, a camouflaged Z06 wearing a particularly aggressive set of aero features was timed by YouTuber ‘Carspotter Jeroen’ lapping the Nurburgring in 7:12 seconds… with traffic on the circuit.

For comparison’s sake, the official lap time (free of traffic) for the standard C8 Stingray is 7:29.9.

As exclusively reported last month by GoAuto, recent trademark filings with IP Australia indicate GMSV could be planning to import and offer the Z06 locally however the brand played down the possibility, saying it was GM’s “best practice to trademark in order to protect assets in global markets”.