Chevrolet has just finally given us a look at what is very likely one of the final, fully gas-powered high-performance vehicles on the planet. In case you slept through it—unlikely—I’m talking about the C8 Corvette Z06. The standard C8 Corvette delivers already riveting performance–11-second quarter miles, 0-60 in 2.8 seconds, and nearly 500 horsepower. That’s courtesy of GM’s “LT2” engine, a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8.
The Z06 cranks all that up to the next level – and it didn’t come easy. Chevy engineers, benchmarking the timeless Ferrari 458, designed an entirely revised, flat-plane crank V8 engine dubbed the “LT6”. Spinning all the way to 8,400 rpm and producing a wicked 670 horsepower, the LT6 is a high watermark for engine design. But most remarkably, I find that the ethos and technology behind it matches up closely to what BMW M has been doing for years. So it begs the question: is it even possible for BMW M to make a Z06 competitor in 2022?
The Z06’s LT6 uses a lot of revisions from more traditional GM engine layouts. But some of it is stuff that BMW M has been doing for years. Hollow camshafts and forged pistons found on the C8 Z06, for example, go back as far as the early 2000s in the S54 engine. The cam lobe and finger follower design is arguably old news, too. It’s part of the reason regular valve adjustment is required in the S54. Allegedly, Chevy has engineered that requirement out. Point being, Chevy has treated this engine exactly the way BMW M has treated its most special powerplants.
BMW M still makes a V8, although natural aspiration is out of the question. Its newest iteration is the S68 and it powers everything from the XM, to the 760i, to the X7 M60i. While it won’t quite match the redline, nor personality of the LT6, we know it’s going to be good for at least 617 horsepower, matching the numbers from the outgoing S63. BMW M would have no problem integrating it into a dedicated high-performance sportscar application.
The Z06 uses standard 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels…
