Spy photos: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette SS engine revealed

[TNT]

Originally Posted by Edmunds It doesn't look like much, but the engine in this 2009 Corvette SS test mule could be the most powerful production V8 ever built by Chevrolet. Photographed by a Lufthansa shipping clerk in Michigan before the car was air freighted to Germany for testing, these spy photos appear to confirm some of the rumors that have been swirling around this new top-of-the-line Corvette for months. Compared to the 7.0-liter LS7 V8 used in the current Z06, this engine's most obvious upgrade is the giant intercooler sitting on top. Built by Behr, a German company that has supplied intercoolers to the likes of Ferrari and Jaguar over the years, this intercooler looks as though it's mounted on top of the supercharger. Not the easiest way to arrange things, but with so little room under the hood the engineers at GM had few options. Even with the compact arrangement, the hood on this prototype is still cut out to make room for all the extra hardware. Other changes include the relocation of the alternator to the passenger side and moving the power steering pump up higher. The main air intake is still front and center, although now it must arch over the radiator before making the plunge back down to the concealed blower mounted in the galley between the cylinders.

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