When GM invited me to an upstate New york press event featuring the 2008 Corvette, I couldn't help but notice the signs for a nearby mental hospital on the way up. I didn't give that too much thought until I slid behind a silver '08 convertible's wheel, grabbed First, and gave the brand-new ls3 engine some gas. The ensuing thrust produced by the 6.2-liter mill was nearly enough to send me to the looney bin.
Cheesy jokes aside, this Machine silver Metallic Vette possessed 436 horsepower and 428 pound feet of torque, thanks to the optional 2.5-inch dual-mode exhaust. It was also a Z51 model, enhanced with such goodies as shorter trans gearing, 2.73 axle ratio, 13.4-inch front/13-inch rear brakes and stickier F1 supercar tires. But strip away that $1,195 exhaust and leave only 430 horses and 424 pound-feet of twist, untick that Z51 box on the order form for the regular Goodyear F1 eats, standard brakes and trans gearing-and hell, while you're at it, substitute the 6-speed slush box for the more brutal manual. It still won't matter: when compared to last year's 400-horse ls2, 30 horses and 24 pound-feet doesn't seem like much. But the new ls3' power-especially from the midrange up to redline-will simply blow you away.
We went inside the new ls3 in the November '07 issue, but here are the highlights: all aluminum, 376 cubic inches from a 4.06-inch bore and 3.62-inch stroke. Highflow, Highflow, l92-type cylinder heads with 2.16-inch intake/1.60-inch exhaustvalves, offset intake rocker arms and better valvesprings, new cam with .551 intake lift, .521 exhaust lift, and a new high-flow intake manifold featuring foam sound deadening. The ls3 is another step forward in GM's quest for improved performance and refinement all at once; it simply hums along in low-load situations, the same great ls personality that we've grown accustomed to, but smoother. But get the tach up around four grand and you're shoved into the plush leather as the big mill does its dirty work. It doesn't take long for the revs to swing past the 5900 horsepower peak to a 6600-rpm redline. yes, we're getting into ls7 rpm terri- tory here-that beast's 505 horses come at 6300, and the ls3 feels more like an ls7 than the ls2 ever could. If it seems like you've heard this "much improved" speech before, it's because the last time a new ls engine made such an impression on me was when we sampled the ls6 over a base ls1. And we all remember what a sweet mill the 6 was, right?
GM is touting a more precise steering feel for the 2008 Corvettes, thanks to a new machining process for the rack-and-pinion's internal parts, a stiffer intermediate shaft, and a different calibration. The steering felt nice and smooth, though our state park testing venue, and its suicidal squirrels and deer, didn't allow pushing the Vette at high speeds to really get a feel for it.
You'll want to know that all of the "cheap interior" comments have finally hit home with the Corvette team: The '08 interior is a huge step in the right direction. All models get interior trim enhancements-a wrapped center trim plate, new doorsill plates, and brushed aluminum accents are the biggies. And for enthusiasts who absolutely have to roll in the leather interior package shown on these pages, you'll spend approximately $8,000 more than a base car, as checking the 4lT package box means bypassing the other option boxes but getting their upgrades- as well as the custom leather interior package that is available in ho-hum linen (black/tan) or our tester's cool sienna (black/burnt orange). This upgrade is sweet, but I can think of other places to put eight grand. This interior is a winner-save for the clunky shifter. GM claims improved manual trans shift effort for this year, but our press car's was clunky at best, and powershifting Third was a negatory. Hopefully this was just an early production model.