Mid-Engine Corvette Won’t Get Cadillac V8, After All

Cadillac boss puts rumors that their twin-turbo V8 will land in the mid-engine Corvette to rest. Or does he?

Ever since we learned that the new Cadillac CT6 V-Sport was going to come equipped with a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8, rumors have swirled that the same engine would also power the forthcoming C8 mid-engine Corvette. And in all fairness, the rumors actually made sense. Leaked documents for the future ‘Vette contained reference to a 4.2-liter V8, after all. Even better, the Caddy V8 is being built at GM’s Performance Center. Which just happens to be located inside the Corvette plant in Bowling Green.

So it would seem perfectly logical to assume that GM would simply slap this exciting new engine in the forthcoming mid-engine Corvette, right? Well, apparently not. In fact, Cadillac president Johan de Nysschen went out of his way to kill the rumors when speaking to Autoblog at the New York Auto Show. “Just quit the speculation it’s headed for Corvette,” he quipped. “It’s not.” We’re going to take that as a firm no.

It’s not like the new V8 lacks the kind of power potential necessary for a Corvette. But according to de Nysschen, maybe it’s a little too refined for Chevy’s sports car. “I think Corvette wants a different kind of character,” he noted. And while shared powerplants are common in the automotive industry given the cost savings, the 4.2 is exclusively earmarked for Cadillac products. “It’s a matter of being a thoroughbred luxury car,” de Nysschen explained to Autoblog. “It’s really only a luxury brand that could recoup this [development] cost.”

Of course, all de Nysschen is saying here is that this exact engine won’t be going in the mid-engine Corvette. But it’s still entirely possible that a different version of it will be. And as the rumors of a twin-turbo, V8-powered Corvette persist, it would certainly make a lot of sense. Plus, you can’t blame Cadillac for getting worked up about Chevy stealing their thunder!

Oh yeah, and we found documents showing off a 5.5-liter version of that twin-turbo V8. Buckle up, kids, the mid-engine Corvette is coming.