Unknown engine needs extra help to keep noise down
If these spy shots are any indication, then the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be very loud. A prototype was just caught testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, and engineers had to rig up some extra piping on the exhaust to muffle its growl.
Many race tracks have noise ordinances in place that restrict how loud you can be at certain times. According to our shooter, the day this prototype was caught there was a 100-decibel limit in effect. The ZR1 apparently couldn’t meet that, as extra piping was added to the tailpipes – a trick used by racers to reduce noise on noise-restricted track days. Each of the test mule’s four bazooka-sized exhaust tips is fitted with a pipe angled at 90 degrees, with the outer tips getting longer pipes.
Exactly what makes the ZR1 so loud remains to be seen. A further evolution of the Z06’s supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 would make sense, but there have also been rumors of a new twin-turbo version. GM also let slip that a naturally aspirated dual-overhead-cam LT5 6.2-liter V-8 is destined for the Corvette in 2018, though we believe that engine will show up in the mid-engine Corvette. Whatever the case, expect the ZR1 to make more than the Z06’s 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.
We don’t know how close this test mule’s exhaust system is to production spec, but if it is then the Corvette ZR1 will be among the rowdiest cars on the road.
A few previous spy shots are mixed into the gallery below.
Photo source: CarPix