The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Supercharged LT4 Will Easily Beat All Other Corvettes

On Wednesday we learned that the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 will debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and thanks to an image leaked via Instagram – we know that the C7 Z06 will pack a new supercharged engine named the LT4 that will bring the Z06 moniker new levels of performance.

The image shown above of what we led to believe is the engine that will power the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was posted on Instagram by a small performance parts company based out of Pembroke Pines Florida. I don’t know much about that company nor can I explain why this seemingly small performance parts provider would have already been able to snap a picture of the 2015 Corvette Z06 engine so there is the outside chance that this image is not legit. At the same time, this image appears to be of an actual engine that wears a compact supercharger similar to that used on the LS9 engine in the C6 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 along with a logo that reads “Corvette LT4” on each side. The LT4 moniker has been used in the past for Corvette “mid” performance engines such as the 1996 Grand Sport package (and a pair of F Bodies in 1997).

In short, based on the evidence in the Instagram image combined with General Motors’ preference of using old school names for new products, I believe that this image does indeed show the supercharged LT4 V8 engine that will power the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Honestly, if this image is a fake – it is a very, very good fake. If this does prove to be the real deal, it will undoubtedly disappoint those folks who were hoping for a twin turbocharged C7 Corvette Z06 but a big power Vette is going to be incredible whether it uses turbocharging or supercharging. We still don’t know what kind of transmissions might be utilized in the 2015 Z06 but does that really matter right now?

While it should be expected that there is no concrete information on the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 drivetrain or the leaked LT4 engine, there have been plenty of rumors swirling around the automotive world that give us hopes as to what to expect from the “most track capable Corvette ever”. We can expect that the new Corvette Z06 will almost certainly offer more power than the 505 horsepower created by the 7.0L LS7 engine in the C6 Z06 with rumors suggesting that the next gen Z06 could pack as much as 600 horsepower. When we consider just how good the 2014 Corvette Stingray is in pretty much every high performance environment, scrapping the 460hp LT1 in favor of a 600hp LT4 would make it one of the most formidable Corvettes of all time without really changing anything else. However, with promises that there will be chassis and aerodynamic features that are unique to the 2015 Z06, I would still expect an even lighter weight chassis and more aggressive body panels that will not just make the new Corvette Z06 look more wicked – they will also improve the air flow around the car while reducing the weight of the vehicle.

When combined with a 600 horsepower supercharged LT4 engine, a lightweight C7 Corvette Z06 should have no problems proving itself as the most track capable Corvette of all time whether it is on a road course or the quarter mile. With the media days of the 2014 North American International Auto Show just over a month away, we won’t have to wait all that long to find out just how incredible this new Z06 will be…and with an image of what appears to be the new LT4 engine already online, perhaps GM will offer up some official information of its own ahead of the Detroit debut.

Source: Instagram via American Velocity Performance