This year marks a major milestone for the Chevrolet brand. This fall, marks the 100th anniversary of the automaker and, the company expects to build its one-hundred millionth small-block V8 this fall. Chevy is not sure which engine will mark the 100 millionth number, nor does the company know where it will end up (Corvette? Auction?), but it should roll off the assembly line some time this fall.
Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole designed the small block V8 in 1955 with the first engine to be used in the ’55 Corvette. Amazingly, the 4.4-inch bore spacing, 90-degree crank angle and pushrod valvetrain design, would be implemented in countless Chevy’s from that point on. Even today’s 638-hp supercharged 6.2-liter engine found in the Corvette ZR1 has its roots from the 1955 design.
“The small-block was easy to work on, easy to modify, and a whole industry grew around it to provide the parts to modify it,”GM vice president for performance vehicles and motorsports Jim Campbell said. “It changed everything.”
[Source: Motor Trend]
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