Sport an 8.0-litre V-10, Original Dodge Viper far ahead of the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette C4. So General Motors decided to include the V-12 in the ‘Vette as a possible way to compete.
First discovered by Sugar & Sugar, this video from the DtRockstar1 YouTube channel shows a prototype V-12 Corvette — dubbed “ZR-12” — at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The prototype is completely drivable and sounds great.
That sound is made by a 600-inch (about 10.0 liter) V-12 engine built by Ryan Falconer Racing Engines. The all-aluminum engine produces 686 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque when new – eclipsing the contemporary Viper’s 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque – and weighs the same. the equivalent of an iron-block V-8.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR-12 Prototype (via DtRockstar1 on YouTube)
According to the video, the ZR-12 also ran 11.6 miles a quarter of a second at 133 mph in March 1993. Motorcycle Trends test.
When new, the ZR-12 even had the same extra tubes as the Viper, although they were later phased out. Today, the car has a dual exhaust system like that of an old C4 Corvette. The wheels were also changed at some point.
The ZR-12 never entered production. Chevy spent a lot of time and money developing the 380-hp V-8 Corvette ZR-1, which, along with the later Z06 and ZR1 (minus the hyphen) variants, brought the Viper to a fight. Today, Viper is gone, but Chevy is coming 2023 Corvette Z06 with one Flat hand crank 670 hp V-8. Future Corvettes are expected to use a hybrid powertrain, a combination of a V-8 engine and electric motor, and an all-electric powertrain, for even more power, so more power. It’s unlikely we’ll see another factory-backed attempt on the V-12 Corvette.
