The C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is just the start of the new mid-engined era for the acclaimed American sports car. With its 6.2-liter V8 sending 495 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels, the performance of the new Stingray is staggering when you consider this is the entry-level model. Succeeding the Stingray will be the new Corvette Z06, which will use the same naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 engine as the C8.R race car.

Last week, a Corvette Z06 prototype was caught on video accelerating through the entrance of the General Motors Milford Proving Grounds, allowing us to hear its flat-plane crank V8 scream. It sounds glorious, and there's a very good reason for that.

According to the latest intel by Motor Trend, the Corvette Z06's flat-plane crank will rev all the way up to 9,000 rpm, making it one of the highest revving engines in a production car. That's even higher than the V12 that powers the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, which will scream its way up to 8,700 rpm. As for the output, the flat-plane crank V8 is expected to produce around 625 hp and over 400 lb-ft of torque. This would make it less powerful than the current Z06, which produces 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque from a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, but this is still supercar levels of power from a 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated engine.

To put this in perspective, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 currently has the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 in a road car with 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. Nothing is official yet, but the new Corvette Z06 is expected to debut sometime in 2021.

Looking beyond the new Z06, Chevrolet is also planning to build a new range-topping Corvette ZR1. Under the hood will reportedly be a twin-turbo 5.5-liter engine producing around 800 hp, while at least one electric motor will boost the output to 1,000 horsepower in the upcoming hybrid variant, taking the Corvette to a new extreme. The new range-topping hybrid Corvette will reportedly be called the Zora named after the father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov. There's even rumors of the Corvette getting the fully electric treatment in the future.

Don't get your hopes up for a new Corvette Grand Sport, however, as the publication's sources claim Chevrolet isn't planning to revive it for the C8 generation.