If the thought of the new 500-hp Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang hedging in on the 505-hp Corvette Z06's territory raises your blood pressure, don't despair: Corvette chief engineer Tom Wallace has a 650-hp trick up his sleeve (a rendering is shown to the right.) Earlier rumors were that the new super Corvette will build on the Z06's 7.0-liter LS7 V-8 that was developed in sync with the Corvette C6.R Le Mans racer, but recent photos have shown otherwise. We now believe that the SS will use a version of the base Corvette’s V-8—bored out to 6.2 liters of displacement—with a supercharger bolted to the top. Because of its extensive experience with forced induction Corvettes, Callaway Cars has been enlisted as the prime source of information for the project, and joining a new trend, an intercooler will be mounted above the supercharger rather than tucked away using a complicated series of tubes. Callaway’s supercharged 6.0-liter ‘Vette engine makes just over 600 horsepower, and you can expect the slight displacement boost should elevate the SS to around 650 feverishly sprinting ponies.

The SS, due in 2008, will be further differentiated from the Z06 by the use of more carbon-fiber body panels and a huge hood vent aimed at killing front-end lift. In true Corvette style, Chevy will undercut competitors by pricing the SS at about $100,000. This Corvette has been known within GM as the Blue Devil, after the mascot of GM CEO Rick Wagoner's alma mater, Duke, and also as the Sting Ray, Z07, and Z06.R, but product boss Bob Lutz recently confirmed the SS name you see here.