The LT5, 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine of the 2019 Corvette ZR1 may not be the twin-turbo mill many were expecting but it is still a very special engine and Chevrolet knows it.
During development of the new powertrain, Chevrolet engineers tried to keep the project a closely-guarded secret and thus thought up a particularly ‘colorful’ codename for the new LT5.
Speaking to Automotive News, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juecther revealed that the company stamped ‘BAS’ on the supercharger, rather than ‘Corvette ZR1’. In doing so, the engineers thought they could trick their fellow workers into thinking it was a development of the Belt Alternator System, currently used by a diesel engine from GM.
However, to those who knew the truth, ‘BAS’ did not stand for ‘Belt Alternator System’ and was instead an acronym for ‘Big A** Supercharger’. Fitting.
Compared to the supercharger of the LT4, the LT5’s is 52 per cent larger and works alongside an all-new 95 mm throttle body, dual fuel system, two engine controllers, and a custom crankshaft made from high-strength alloy. These components work alongside the same block, head, pistons, and connecting rods as the LT4.
The figures are something to behold. Chevrolet quotes 755 hp and 715 lb-ft of torque, enough to accelerate the ZR1 to 100 km/h in under 3 seconds and to a top speed beyond 337 km/h.
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