Originally Posted by
HotRod.com
Tired of pushing small displacements to their limits, Chevrolet decided to go with a more square bore/stroke combination and ended up with a familiar number, a big-block displacement of 396 ci. The extra inches allow for fast turbo spool-up—oh yeah, did we mention turbos? Now we have. It makes sense, with a turbo-four as a foregone conclusion for the base models, why wouldn’t they use the same tech in the top tier? With the snails and the space, the new LT6 small-block provides more torque than even the Z06 Corvette’s 650 lb-ft LT4 yet still allows for high-revving fun, as titanium rods, valves, and keepers reduce both reciprocating and valve train weight. We have heard that the LT6 uses twin Garrett GT3776 55mm inducer turbos, each good for up to 500 hp. The number we were quoted from an anonymous Pontiac, Michigan, dyno operator, was 808 hp at about 8 pounds of boost. We’ve also heard from a supplier that the high-pressure direct-injection fuel pump from the LT4 will be carried over, and additional fueling at WOT comes from an extra set of injectors mounted way upstream to help cool the intake charge. Cylinder heads are the same casting as the LT4, but are CNC ported, a practice gleaned from Chevrolet Performance’s LS3 cylinder head package for the 5th-gen Camaro.
It appears that this uber-Camaro will offer an automatic transmission as Chevrolet brought in extra help from Allison Performance Research & Integration Logistics, a division that works closely with the Formula Optimization & Outright Lap Sector teams to test cars on the track and improve lap times. Initial testing at the Nurburgring is rumored to have shown a best time of 7:32.185. Stick shift fans will have options as well, with the Corvette’s seven-speed Tremec TR-6070 a definite, although we’ve even heard rumors of an eight-speed manual. Who cares, those extra gears are just for fuel mileage anyway. We’d take this thing with a three-on-the-tree it sounds so good! Oh, speaking of sound, the Camaro rights a wrong in the Corvette in that it automatically defaults to the loudest most raucous exhaust setting on start-up. If you want to make your neighbors happy, you’ll have to make a custom sissy setting that keeps the flapper valve closed.
What do you think? Will the Camaro knock the Hellcat from the horsepower throne, and make the Mustang 350R look like a fat Shetland pony? We can’t wait to find out.
Twin-Turbo LT6 Gen V small-block
Bore: 4.060
Stroke: 3.825
Displacement: 396 ci
Transmission: Eight-speed auto and Seven-speed manual
Rear Gears: 4.10:1
Tire Size: 305/30ZR19 front, 335/30ZR19 rear
Wheels: Carbon fiber 19x11 front 19x12.5 rear
Brakes: 16-inch Boron-Carbide rotors with 6-piston calipers