The new Corvette ZR1, along with its Nurburgring record-breaking hybridized ZR1X twin, is a hot car at the moment. Its 1,064 horsepower and 828 lb-ft of tire-shredding torque shocked the car world when it first debuted, but all that violent performance is thanks to its two turbochargers.
Diehard Corvette fans would be forgiven for the audible gasp they may have just let out. However, GM experimented with several different turbocharged engines in the late '70s and early '80s, including a couple of V8s.
The fuel crisis of the 1970s wasn't kind to performance cars, and American automakers were looking for ways to improve fuel economy while maintaining power and performance.
Turbocharging and downsizing are great ways to do that, if you can convince customers to give up their beloved V8s.
Unfortunately, the idea of a V6 Corvette wasn't particularly well received by customers and fans.
The C3-generation twin-turbo V6 Corvette is a unique part of the model's history. It was never officially produced, but its development laid groundwork for future performance cars.
GM built a twin-turbocharged Corvette back in 1981 and strapped those turbos to a V6 engine. The result was a 270 horsepower twin-turbo V6 that sounded great according to Hot Rod magazine.
The blown-six in the Corvette prototype was said to be pretty dang good, but it never made it to production.
Despite the initial experimentation, GM didn't build the twin-turbo V6 Corvette. However, their efforts paved the way for more innovative performance cars.
While GM didn't build the twin-turbo V6 Corvette, their experimentation laid groundwork for future performance cars.
