- LS7-powered Camaro concept GM brought to SEMA in 2008.
- The LS7 7.0 liter V8.
The Chevrolet Camaro is already lucky when it comes to the engine department: It offers a choice of not one, not two, but three different engines depending on what its buyer is lookin’ for. If you just want something for cruisin’, flossin’ or rentin’, the 323 horsepower V6 will do you just fine. If you want some legit muscle but don’t wanna break the bank, the 6.2 liter 426 horsepower V8 is your boy. And if you just wanna crush 99 percent of cars out there at the light (or run a few hot laps on a race course), the 580 horsepower ZL1 is one hell of a car for the money.
But according to some info that appears to have leaked onto the internet directly from General Motors, the Camaro stable will be adding not one but two new powertrain options in 2013: a twin-turbo 3.6 liter V6 and the 7.0 liter LS7 V8 from the Corvette Z06.
From a technical point of view, the twin-turbo six—called the LF3 motor in the report—is the more interesting motor; while rumors that GM is working on such an engine have floated around for a while, the rumors have usually attached the motor to various Cadillacs and Buicks. That said, General Motors does tend to spread their engines around plenty, so it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see the engine make its way into the Camaro lineup—probably making around 355 horsepower.
The odds of the LF3 making its way into the Camaro for the 2014 model year are about even at this point, however—it only shows up once in the mysterious document, and hasn’t even been confirmed by GM to exist yet. However, we’re thinking the LS7 V8 is a pretty solid lock at this point: That motor shows up very explicitly in part of the document that explains the MY 2014 Camaro VIN numbers as one of the engines that’ll be available. It’s a smart decision for General Motors—by keeping the LS7 around in the Camaro, GM helps prevent the kickass motor from vanishing with the demise of the C6 Corvette this winter. (And keeping it around improves the odds it’ll show up in the C7 Corvette at some point in the near future.)
If or when the LS7 V8 drops into the Camaro, we’re guessing it’ll make at least the same 505 horses it makes in the Corvette Z06—an output that would stick an LS7-powered ‘Maro right between the SS and the ZL1. As for what an LS7 Camaro might be called, GM’s leaked document is no help, but they’d be fools not to call it the Z28. [Shout out to Camaro5 and MotorAuthority!]