714 organic horses: Lingenfelter tunes the C8 ‘Vette

Famous U.S.-based tuning firm Lingenfelter has spent quite a while improving all kinds of Chevrolets, but most of its projects involved a supercharger or a turbo kit of some kind. This one stands out because it lets a normal Chevrolet C8 Corvette output over 700 hp (522 kW) without forced induction.

Working with the recently released 7.0-liter LT2 V8, the company equips it with a forged rotating assembly, a new camshaft, heavy-duty pistons and connecting rods, and in-house heads. The rest of the drivetrain and the ECU get their own share of improvements to withstand the incoming 813 Nm (600 lb-ft) of torque.

Lingenfelter claims that the Corvette E-Ray it tested at the dyno was able to deliver 585 PS (577 hp / 430 kW) and 595 Nm (439 lb-ft) of torque to the stand. This makes us wonder how it managed to lose over 20% of its power on the way from the crank to the wheels. It’s not like the C8 has a fluid coupling or anything. On the upside, it’s still an impressive result for a naturally aspirated Corvette – enough so for some to want the tune-up.