[VIDEO] Battle of the Flat-Planes! Valvetronic Uncorks its C8 Corvette Z06 and Ferrari 458 Exhausts in 16-Cylinder Symphony

Jul 2, 2025

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[VIDEO] Battle of the Flat-Planes! Valvetronic Uncorks its C8 Corvette Z06 and Ferrari 458 Exhausts in 16-Cylinder Symphony

When designing the clean-sheet LT6 V8, General Motors’ finest engineers were given a difficult objective: make C7 Z06 levels of power in the style of the dearly departed Ferrari 458. That particular Prancing Horse was, and still is, considered the sweet spot of exotic Italian motoring. It debuted in 2010 with the largest flat-plane V8 its maker ever attempted at 4.5L. It spun to 9,000 RPM and made 562 horsepower in its base “Italia” form. In 2014, a track-focused “Speciale” version upped the ante to an even 600 ponies and marked the end of the line for the naturally aspirated bent eights at Ferrari as downsizing and turbocharging took hold for the follow-up 488 GTB.

To make Ferrari’s abandoned recipe meet or exceed the 650 HP of the 2015-19 C7 Z06, GM had to create the largest production flat-plane V8 in history by adding a full liter of displacement. While this first leg of the now completed “Gemini Project” lost 400 RPM at the top of the rev range compared to its mentor, it was able to shoot way past it – and every other production V8 ever made – with an astounding 670 peak horsepower (and almost as importantly, 62 additional lb-ft of torque from even the Speciale).

Even with nearly a decade and a half and a laundry list of differences between them, the 458 and C8Z have remarkably similar exhaust notes, which is to say, both make an absolutely intoxicating sound, and that is just in their respective stock configurations. Somehow, aftermarket supplier Valvetronic Designs heard both flat-plane screamers and decided that they could be louder.

Well, both cars were on hand with the completed Valvetronic systems attached this week, and, fortunately, the resulting sixteen-piece opus was captured on video where we proudly present it for your listening pleasure! Act one involves stationary revs with the company’s namesake valves open and closed on both cars for comparison. Exterior sound from multiple angles, including fly-bys and some excellent long-distance views/listens complete with barking downshifts, make up the second scene and quite possibly the highlight of the show. Next are a host of interior sound clips that slightly favor the 458 as it is a topless Spider, and the grand finale features shots from a rear bumper-mounted GoPro.

Enjoy the show and its lack of any irritating YouTubers, Corvette Nation! If you are lucky enough to own the American hero of the film and are interested in adding the beautiful – and loud – system to your flat-plane baby, visit Valvetronic’s site here and be sure to share the results with your favorite Corvette Bloggers!

Source:
Valvetronic Designs

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2 COMMENTS

David D Demond Jul 3, 2025 At 10:59 am

Now if only Chevrolet could get their ripoff dealers to be as nice as Ferrari’s.
Alex Sommers Jul 3, 2025 At 3:56 pm

David, most GM dealerships are far from perfect, but anyone can walk in off the street and get their desired ‘Vette, and usually at MSRP.

Every Ferrari or even high-end Porsche owner I’ve ever questioned has detailed the nightmare of getting what they want. You need to have a relationship with the dealer and own several of their lesser cars before even being considered for the good stuff. “Want a GT3? You’ll have to buy a Cayenne, Macan, and a 911 Carrera first, oh, and then take a couple of these Taycans off our hands and pay an excessive premium, too.”