New V8-Powered 2027 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Breaks Cover With Huge Tires

General Motors is all-in on V8-powered trucks.

The automaker announced earlier this week that it is investing $888 million in the Buffalo-area factory that builds the engines for its full-size pickups and SUVs and that a new generation motor is on the way for 2027.

GM said they will be deliver stronger performance and efficiency than the current engines thanks to advances in combustion and thermal management.

The timing coincides with the expected launch of the next generation Silverado 1500 lineup and one has already been spotted being tested on the streets.

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The camouflaged truck was captured on camera by GM Authority and appears to be the off-road performance ZR2 trim, which features a few significant changes from the current version.

The truck has quad exhaust pipes, which are absent on today’s ZR2 and suggest Chevy is looking to make the truck even sportier the next time around.

An even bigger update — literally — is that it is riding on 35-inch tires, while the 2025 truck can only accommodate 33-inch tires. Behind them can be seen the gold Multimatic DSSV dampers that are a key ZR2 feature.

One thing that doesn’t appear to have changed is the body width. Unlike the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 RHO it competes with, the current ZR2 uses a relatively narrow body and track, which limits is performance compared to its rivals.

Also unknown for now is whether there will be a very high performance model with horsepower on par with the F-150 Raptor R’s 720 hp and discontinued Ram 1500 TRX’s 702 hp, both delivered by supercharged V8s. The 2025 ZR2’s naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 tops out at 420 hp. Indications are that Ram will be reviving the 1500 TRX soon with an even more powerful engine.