The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was unveiled earlier in the week and promises to be unlike any other ‘Vette before it, largely thanks to its engine.

We have known that the C8 Z06 would feature a 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated V8 ever since the Corvette C8.R race car was unveiled with this same basic engine in October 2019. Recent rumors suggested the engine would be tuned to around the 617 hp mark for the Z06, so you can imagine our surprise when the car was announced with no less than 670 hp and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm).

Read More: 2023 Corvette Z06 Is The Ultimate C8 With A Furious Sounding 670HP Flat-Plane Crank V8

That horsepower figure makes this 5.5-liter flat-plane crank engine the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 ever used by a production car. It also gives the new car a 20 hp advantage over the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 used by the C7 Z06. Just how was Chevy able to extract so much power from this smaller-capacity engine without relying on forced induction?

To show how this was achieved, Engineering Explained has released an intriguing video that details all of the technology packed into this engine.

A key reason why the engine is so powerful is that it revs to 8,600 rpm and achieves peak power at 8,400 rpm, 2,000 rpm higher than the C7’s 6.2-liter V8. The car’s high-revving nature has been achieved through the use of a flat-plane crankshaft and the use of a short stroke.

Chevrolet has also engineered the engine with double-overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. It also featured dual valve springs, solid lifts, titanium intake valves, and sodium-filled steel exhaust valves. A complex intake manifold has also been designed with dual throttle bodies, dual plenums, three center valves, and four trumpets on each side.

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After years of spy photos and speculation, the wait is almost over as Chevrolet has officially announced plans to introduce the 2023 Corvette Z06 this fall.

Described as a “supercar that will put the world on notice,” the 2023 Corvette Z06 promises to be an American exotic that features a mid-mounted 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 as well as an assortment of other performance upgrades.

The former can be heard in a new teaser video, which shows the car driving on the track and then on rural backroads. While the car itself can’t be seen, spy photographers have already captured it on numerous occasions and it will adopt a sportier design that echoes the Corvette C8.R.

Among the changes will be a more aggressive front fascia, aerodynamic side skirts and a prominent rear wing. We can also expect a revised interior with sport seats, Z06 badging and carbon fiber trim.

Also Read: Chevy Spied Benchmarking C8 Corvette Z06 And ZR1 Against Ferrari 458 And Porsche GT2

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Of course, the real star of the show is the all-new 5.5-liter V8 engine. Chevrolet hasn’t said much about it, but it was developed alongside the one used in the Corvette race car and rumors have suggested it could produce as much as 617 hp (460 kW / 626 PS) and 480 lb-ft (651 Nm) of torque. That would be a significant improvement over the standard model which has up to 495 hp (369 kW / 502 PS) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque, and can rocket from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 2.9 seconds.

That being said, the car could be less powerful than its predecessor which had a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 with 650 hp (485 kW / 659 PS) and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque. However, it should be significantly faster so drivers won’t have much to complain about other than the lack of a manual transmission.