In 1989, GM's engineers at its proving ground in Arizona conjured up a concept car that would have changed the face of the Corvette's powertrain possibilities. The focus was on the Chevrolet Corvette, with a standard single-cam L98 V8 and the soon-to-debut dual-overhead-camshaft LT5 V8.
The Big Doggie concept started as a 'what-if' at the hands of engineer Scott Leon and his colleagues one night after work. They wondered if a 454 cubic-inch V8 could fit between the Vette's frame rails with minor modifications.
The crew was surprised to find that the big Rat fit into the frame with only a few minor chassis modifications, as told by K. Scott Teeters for MotorTrend.
They then whipped up a system of tuned-port fuel injection and a modified tunnel-ram intake manifold. The result was around the same power as the LT5-powered ZR-1 and undoubtedly more torque.
The Big Doggie concept was somewhat reserved, with only a slightly higher hood to accommodate the 454's girth being the most noticeable change in aesthetics.
Despite coming in at 5.7 liters of displacement compared to the 454's 7.4, it was sadly never dubbed 'Little Doggie'.
The three finished prototypes sported the Chevy catalog's Z51 performance suspension and a six-speed manual transmission.
However, the project was ultimately killed due to GM having sunk so much into the ZR-1's development that it wasn't willing to pursue the Big Doggie further.
This concept car represents an interesting footnote in Corvette history, highlighting the innovative thinking of GM engineers and their willingness to experiment with different powertrain possibilities.
