Deep Dive Why the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06's V-8 produces 670 naturally aspirated horsepower

The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8 engine that produces 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. As this commentary from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) explains, this is thanks in part to 19th century physics know-how.

The Z06 engine, code-named LT6, exploits a phenomenon discovered by German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz in the 1800s. He observed that when air vibrates in a sealed chamber at slightly higher than atmospheric pressure, it produces a sound similar to a guitar or a whistle.

Today, this is known as Helmholtz resonance, and Chevrolet engineers used it to generate positive pressure in the intake manifold of the LT6 engine to help widen the torque curve.

The LT6's intake system consists of two molded nylon chambers, with air supplied by two 87 mm throttle bodies. The mirror-image plenum made of RIVER is connected by three "communicator valves" operated by the engine's control module (the throttles are biwired).

Two of the communicator valves open and close in tandem, while the third operates at different times. Each plenum has four molded plastic trumpets to feed the cylinders, and the air, divided by intake runners, is fed to two titanium intake valves per cylinder. Each time the valves close on the compression stroke, the mass of air reverberates a pressure wave into the intake system.

The communicator valves utilize the Helmholtz principle to help maximize resonance in the intake system. At full throttle, the paired valves remain closed until 2,000 rpm and the third valve remains closed until 5,800 rpm.

The result is a fairly flat torque curve up to a torque peak of 6,300 rpm (peak horsepower at 8,400 rpm). The volumetric efficiency (a measure of air and exhaust flow through the engine) is an impressive 110%, SAE notes.

The LT6 also utilizes a number of other engineering tricks, including dry-sump lubrication and a flat-plane crankshaft. The Z06's 0-60 mph is expected to be 2.6 seconds, although the top speed has not been confirmed.

Deliveries of the Z06 are expected to begin this summer and will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles. The vehicle will be built at the same Bowling Green, Kentucky plant as the standard Corvette Stingray, with the engine assembled at the attached Performance Build Center. The push for electrification means that the LT6 will likely not last long.