We’ll be honest, we were actually expecting this one to be announced at this year’s SEMA Show alongside the LT1, DR525, and LTG, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, Chevrolet Performance made us wait just a little bit longer – right before PRI 2014. Through an announcement on the Chevrolet Performance Facebook page today, promoting an LT4 wallpaper, they slid in the fact that the LT4 will be available as a crate engine in “early 2015.”
Being the sole engine choice of the 2015 C7 Z06, the hand-built LT4 pumps out 650 hp and 650 lb-ft. of torque at the crank – enough to put the car in the high-tens in the quarter-mile. Although we’re excited about this newfound information, we know that it will come at a price. The 638 hp supercharged LS9 for example, still retails north of $20,000 from General Motors, so we can only assume that this will be at least as much, if not more.
Either way, we can’t wait to eventually get our hands on one, and see others do the same!
LT4 Specs, Courtesy of GM:
- Rotocast A356T6 aluminum cylinder heads that are stronger and handle heat better than conventional aluminum heads
- Lightweight titanium intake valves
- Machined, forged powder metal steel connecting rods for reduced reciprocating mass
- High 10.0:1 compression ratio – for a forced-induction engine – enhances performance and efficiency and is enabled by direct injection
- Forged aluminum pistons with unique, stronger structure to ensure strength under high cylinder pressures
- Stainless steel exhaust manifolds and an aluminum balancer that are lighter than their LT1 counterparts
- Standard dry-sump oiling system with a dual-pressure-control oil pump
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
