GM revitalizes the V8 that will not die

Direct injection, CVVT, and cylinder deactivation make the timeless Small-Block V8 ready for duty in the 2014 Corvette and full-size pickups. Its 4.3-L V6 cousin also gains those features.

“The GM Small-Block V8 will not be capable of surviving much longer. It's a design that will soon be obsolete.”

That quote from 1996 came from Francois Castaing, who at the time was Chrysler's Vice President of Vehicle Engineering. A veteran of Renault's Formula 1 program during the “turbo era,” Castaing said he was convinced that the Small-Block V8's classic architecture-big cylinder bore, central camshaft, and two pushrod-actuated overhead valves per cylinder-worked against the type of fast-burning, efficient combustion system that engine designers knew would be needed for the 21st century.