Next week ends the nearly year-long countdown to the much anticipated reveal of the next-generation Corvette Z06. We’ve been taunted and teased with rumors regarding the new Chevy supercar since before the 2014 Stingray ever broke cover, with scenarios as far-fetched as turbocharged V6s and hybrid drivetrains being bandied about.
But the truth is probably much more mundane, and yet still very exciting. By chance, Jalopnik caught wind that Google search results were giving away the secret in the metadata for the all-new Corvette Z06, including performance specs of 620 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.
Those kinds of numbers are right in the same ballpark as the last-generation Corvette ZR1, which featured a 7.0 liter supercharged V8 for motivation. That car made 638 horsepower but just 604 pound-feet of torque, which means if the information hidden in the metadata is true, the new Z06 has a lot more grunt than the top-tier C6 Corvette.
Logically, that means GM strapped some kind of forced induction onto the Z06’s modified LT1 engine, which we’d be willing to bet is still the primary powerplant under the ‘Vettes hood. If you ask us, it’s also no coincidence that GM is revealing the Z06 side-by-side with the Corvette C7.R race car, implying perhaps that the new Z06 is a truly track-focused sequel. Come next week we’ll know for sure.