GM considered competing with the Dodge Viper with a Chevrolet Corvette powered by a V-12 engine
The first generation Dodge Viper, with its 8.0-liter V-10 engine, dominated the modern Chevrolet Corvette C4. So General Motors decided to counter with a V-12 in the Corvette.
First spotted by Road & Track, this video from YouTube channel DtRockstar1 shows a prototype of the V-12 Corvette (called the "ZR-12") at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky The prototype is fully roadworthy. The prototype is fully driveable and sounds great.
The sound is produced by a 600 cubic-inch (about 10.0 liters) V-12 engine built by Ryan Falconer Racing Engines. This all-aluminum engine delivers 686 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque when new, surpassing the 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque of the modern Viper.
According to the video, the ZR-12 recorded an 11.6-second quarter-mile run at 133 mph in a March 1993 Motor Trend test.
When new, the ZR-12 had Viper-like side pipes, which were later removed. It now has a dual exhaust system like the stock C4 Corvette. The wheels were also changed at some point.
The ZR-12 was never produced. Chevrolet had already spent much time and money developing the 380 hp V-8 Corvette ZR-1, which, along with the later Z06 and ZR1 (minus the hyphen) variants, took the fight to the Viper. Today, the Viper is gone, but Chevrolet is about to introduce the 2023 Corvette Z06 with a 670-horsepower flat-plane crank V-8 engine. Future Corvettes are expected to feature a hybrid powertrain that combines a V-8 with an electric motor or an all-electric powertrain for even more power, so we will not see another attempt at a factory backup to the V-12 Corvette likely.
