When GM lifted the veil on the 2014 Corvette Stingray, it also introduced us to an all-new engine, the 460 horsepower 6.2 liter LT1. While it shares a similar name and displacement with previous GM engines, this LT1 is totally new from the top-down. New features like variable-valve timing and direct injection not only improve cooling and lower emissions, but also help boost power levels as well.
But while flywheel horsepower ratings are great, the only numbers that really matter are measured at the rear wheels. Edmunds [1] took a 2014 Corvette Stingray to MD Automotive [2] in Westminster, California for the world’s first independent dyno test of the new ‘Vette.
Let’s just skip all the nonsense and talk numbers. On the Dynojet [3], the 2014 Corvette C7 put down a peak of 411 horsepower at 5,800 RPM, with peak torque of 407 pound-feet arriving at just 4,800 RPM. Edmunds compared that data with a stock Camaro SS with the 6.2 liter LS3 engine, and that put down only 360-ish horsepower at the wheels. What a difference that LT1 makes!
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These power numbers align pretty well with GM’s own ratings, meaning there shouldn’t be any disappointed Corvette fans in the house. While on paper, the 2014 Corvette only gained 30 horsepower over the outgoing base C6 model, at the wheels the numbers tell of an even wider disparity between the two models. Now we just can’t wait for aftermarket shops like Lingenfelter and Callaway to start churning out the performance parts they promised.