It has been said that the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette - and not 2011 as originally planned - will be utilizing a 5.5L small block V8 engine in its front engine, rear wheel drive platform and will actually get more horsepower than the typical 6.2L and 7.0L engines used in the past.ith this engine, the Corvette would end up with 440HP, about 5 HP up from the previous generation, and will also feature better fuel economy to boot. The engine will come with a revised combustion system and an aluminum block and heads.Some rumors suggest that the new generation Corvette will adopt a European-style, small-block, turbocharged V8 engine. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the new engine will only be slightly larger than 3 liters in displacement and will be of an overhead-cam, rather than traditional overhead-valve design, using a dry sump oil system that’s particularly well-suited to high-performance road courses rather than straight-line acceleration. This engine would be able to provide only 400 HP, or about 125 HP per liter.The engine won’t be the only defining change, that we can be sure of. Rumors suggest that Chevrolet will finally be bumping up the quality of the materials used in the sports car - ending what seems to be generations of poor quality complaints - and will be putting in higher end seats similar to buckets seats. If they expect to keep up with the times, then we would suggest putting in a few technological advances. If the Ford Focus can get all teched out, then the Corvette should be able to dazzle us with something.As it turns out, Chevrolet may be having a bit of trouble coming up with the right formula to pull the iconic sports car out of the sales gutter. In a recent interview with Automotive News, Ed Welburn, GM’s Global Design head, said that designing the next Corvette has been a real challenge: \"Everyone wants to design a Corvette, but it is hard work. Finding that right balance is a challenge. You want it to be a new design, but it needs to be recognizable as a Corvette. You don’t want to be the guy who screwed it up.\"