Ferrari 458 Italy The 4.5-liter Airless V8 won several International Engine of the Year awards during its production, so when Chevrolet decided to make a new Airless V8 for the Corvette Z06, it’s no surprise that they wanted to get their hands on the 458.
Recently talking to Drive during a presentation on the 5.5-liter V8 of the new Corvette Z06 chief engineer Jordan Lee revealed that the carmaker managed to get the engine out of a broken 458 Italia in Poland. They bought a V8 for “something like $ 25,000” on eBay and sent it straight to the automaker’s engineering facility in Michigan.
The main difference of the new Z06 engine from all other GM engines is the use of a flat connecting rod. The 458 engine also uses connecting rods in a flat plane and served as an ideal tool for Chevy engineers to understand how such an engine works.
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According to Corvettes chief engineer Taj Juchter, he was particularly “surprised at how small the bearings were” when the team began disassembling the engine. Chevrolet spokesman Trevor Tompkins added that the carmaker is particularly interested in discovering how Ferrari has protected ignition and electronic components from vibrations produced by the connecting rod.
“One thing Jordan and the team looked at more closely was Ferrari’s methods of insulating the ignition coil and securing the electrical connectors to avoid problems at work,” he said. “We came to our own decisions, but studied such engines [F136] it was profitable. “
Chevrolet began developing the 5.5-liter V8 Corvette Z06 back in 2014, and once the engine was built, it was broken down into a prototype that was compared directly with 458 Italia. Sure, the 458 came out about 13 years ago, but it is still considered one of Ferrari’s best production cars. In fact it’s so good that soon after Chevy sold the 458 it tested and replaced it with a more powerful 488 GTB, it decided the 488 lacked emotion, and quickly sold it and changed course, buying another used one. 458.
Chevy bought the Ferrari 458 engine on eBay to help develop the V8 connecting rods with the Corvette Z06
Source link Chevy bought the Ferrari 458 engine on eBay to help develop the V8 connecting rods with the Corvette Z06