The King is Dead! The Supercharged 6.2L LT5 Has Been Cancelled

The now discontinued LT5 found under the hood of the 2019 Corvette ZR1 was the fastest crate engine that Chevrolet ever offered.  

It is natural to mourn a passing. However, in this case it is not a person that we mourn but an engine. That may seem strange to some but this is no ordinary engine, this is a legend. The supercharged 6.2L LT5 debuted in the 2019 Corvette ZR1 and it was a beast. It produced 755 horsepower from the factory but could be modified to make much more. With GM and most other manufacturers moving into the electric age, this announcement should not shock anyone, but it still stings. Sure, we can look forward to the E-Ray but it won’t make us miss the LT5 any less.

If you were not able to secure one of the C7 Corvette ZR1 models, you could still get the LT5 as a crate engine to swap into whatever you wanted. The 6.2L V8 was augmented with a 2.65L supercharger on top. It was the fastest crate engine that Chevy ever produced. However, if you make your way over to the LT5 crate engine page you will see a banner at that top that reads: “Discontinued product. Contact dealer for availability.” Well, crap.

If you were on the fence about getting one of these beauties, you better act fast. Once the current inventory is depleted you will be out of luck. That makes the LT4 the new top rung of LT engines. It of course is no slouch producing 650 horsepower and an equal 650 pound-feet of torque. That is not a bad consolation prize. And of course, if you are looking for a crate engine, you are not limited to the LT series. There are still several LS engines available, as well as a selection of small blocks and big blocks.

Now that the LT5 is no more, will that further drive up the price of the 2019 Corvette ZR1 models? Less than 5,000 of those cars were produced and they are the only ones to receive this engine from the factory. The recent news of the discontinued LT5 just made these special Corvettes even a little more special. However, if you have one of these, we urge you to keep it and not flip it for a quick buck. It is now painfully obvious that cars like that are just not going to be made any more.

Maybe at 7:55 PM tonight you can pour one out for the loss of this great engine. That could be a fitting tribute. It may not have been around for very long, but it made a hell of an impression in the performance car world. It will be missed. If you are lucky enough to have one of these engines, share your story with us in the Corvette Forum. If you don’t have one yet, place your order right now and then get back to the forum.

Images: Chevrolet

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