Ryan Falconer Industries was– and still is– in the service of structure GM-based marine engines, including the well known Falconer V12 which is based upon little block Chevy engine architecture. Its generally a half and an sbc. Much like the Viper, Chevy needed to extend the front of the car to get this numerous cylinders to fit, and the C4 chassis needed 8 inches of extra length to get the V12 under its clamshell.
Chevy never ever constructed any of these 12-cylinder monsters for customers, largely since it would have been hellaciously costly. In 1990 cash a Corvette would cost you about thirty-two grand, and the amazing DOHC MerCruiser-powered ZR-1 was nearly sixty Gs. It would have cost at least an extra 10 grand on top of that if the ZR-12 had actually been pressed into production. Considering the Viper began at around $50,000 it would not have been much of a Viper fighter.
Considering that 1990, inflation has gone up nearly 100 percent, suggesting in today money this V12 Vette would have to do with the equivalent of $138,000. Now that I think about it, a brand brand-new NSX starts at $157,000, so possibly theres space for a big displacement V12 Corvette in todays lineup. Particularly now that its mid-engine, a V12 would sure be welcome.
The weight balance wasnt changed much as the aluminum V12 weighed about as much as an iron V8, but the stretched chassis was a little wonky. The automobile had Viper-aping side pipelines at the time, which were later pressed inboard.
And if 10 cylinders was excellent enough for Dodges American supercar, then Chevy would have to up the ante a bit to truly push back. The Corvette group constructed one-off design study called the ZR-12 to see what would happen if you put 10-liters of all-American goodness into a C4-generation Vette.
Image: DtRockstar1
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HT: Chris
Since that test, the automobile was quite much mothballed and was provided over to the National Corvette Museum numerous years earlier. Back in 2017 I got and went to the museum to see the automobile up close and personal. It hadnt been on display screen in all those years and was just pushed into a back room on a rack. For a recent changing of display screens, NCM got the Falconer V12 fired up and drove the cars and truck around a bit, both within and outside the museum. Thankfully YouTuber DtRockstar1 existed to record it on video. You simply have not lived up until youve heard a Corvette V12.
Ryan Falconer Industries was– and still is– in the service of structure GM-based marine engines, consisting of the famous Falconer V12 which is based on small block Chevy engine architecture. Much like the Viper, Chevy had to stretch out the front of the car to get this numerous cylinders to fit, and the C4 chassis needed eight inches of extra length to get the V12 under its clamshell.
Now that I think about it, a brand new NSX begins at $157,000, so perhaps theres room for a big displacement V12 Corvette in todays lineup. The weight balance wasnt changed much as the aluminum V12 weighed about as much as an iron V8, however the stretched chassis was a little wonky. For a recent changing of display screens, NCM got the Falconer V12 fired up and drove the automobile around a bit, both within and outside the museum.
Male, thats a genuinely delightful sound. I do wish they d gotten the important things as much as greater RPMs, but it sure had the right exhaust pulses even at quick parking lot speeds.
