Shots snapped of "Blue Devil" engine

Call it what you will - "Blue Devil", "Corvette SS", or just "#%$&ing fast" - but even though we don't yet know the moniker of the upcoming ÜberVette, a clearer picture is being painted of the 650-hp supercharged lump that should propel it past most of the supercar elite. A sharp-eyed and well-connected member of the Digital Corvettes forum managed to have a camera in the right place at the right time, and grabbed three shots of the blown GenIV V8 that is said to carry the SPID designation of LS9.

Most notable is the blower setup, which puts the compressor down low in the valley, with the blower drive snout sneaking past the front-mounted throttle body. Air flows upwards through an air-to-water intercooler (note the yellow caps on the coolant fittings at the rear of the IC), and then drops straight down into the intake ports. The arrangement is similar to that of Cadillac's supercharged Northstar, but this engine appears to be significantly more compact despite providing 40% more output. There's also a bit of bling in the form of valve covers and a intercooler housing formed from polished aluminum, which is certainly more fitting to a $100K vehicle than the usual plastic or stamped steel.

Speaking of GM's luxury brand, rumor has it that a lower-output version of this engine will make its way into the Escalade. That would seem to contradict Caddy's claim that there will be no V-series SUVs.

Is it too early to start wondering when this will be available as a crate motor?

[Source: DigitalCorvettes]