C8 Corvette Stingray May Get More Power Soon: Report

The recent sighting of a C8 Corvette Stingray with a strange exhaust hints as some possible powertrain revisions.

After enjoying a couple of years in the limelight, the C8 Corvette Stingray has largely been overshadowed by the debut of the new Z06, which isn’t a surprise by any means. After all, the C8 Z06 screamed into existence as the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8-powered machine in history, one that revs to the moon thanks to its flat plane crank construction. However, that doesn’t mean GM is turning its back on the C8 Corvette Stingray, which may in fact be in line for a bit of a power boost, according to GM Authority.

This notion comes from a recently-spied C8 that was driving around wearing a set of EPA certification exhaust pipes, which are generally present on prototypes that are testing new or revised powertrains for emissions purposes. The Corvette was spotted driving around near GM facilities with a set of manufacturer plates, along with the bizarre looking exhaust setup, which features a pair of thin pipes that stick out much further than the stock, quad-pipe tips.

There are a couple of possibilities as to what GM is cooking up here – either it plans on giving the C8 Corvette Stingray an upgrade in the power department, or perhaps it’s working on a lower-emissions version of the LT2 V8. Given the fact that the C8 debuted for the 2020 model year and is preparing to enter its fifth year of production in 2024, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw some sort of power bump, at the very least.

Currently, the Stingray is powered by GM’s naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter LT2 V8 that produces either 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque or 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque when equipped with the optional performance exhaust. It wouldn’t take much for GM to boost the base car’s horsepower past the 500 mark, which is coincidentally what the new 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse is set to generate.

As is, the C8 Stingray is a formidable performer, though the addition of some extra power would certainly be welcome, as always. But for now, this is nothing more than pure speculation – all we know is that GM is testing something related to the C8’s powertrain, but it shouldn’t be long before we learn precisely what that might be.

Photos: Chevrolet

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