New engines Big power from GM Small Block

The editors review the engineering of six of the most significant new gasoline and diesel engines of 2008 and 2009.

Were he still with us today, the late Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole might not be surprised that GM's classic Small Block V8 will be offered in a 2009 production Corvette with a rating of more than 600 hp (447 kW). After all, Cole (who later became GM's president) was a visionary. When he and his assistant Harry Barr began sketching the new V8 in 1952, they designed in ample headroom for future development.

That legacy continues with the new 430-hp (321-kW) LS3, which is the standard powerplant for the 2008 Corvette, as well as the ultra-high-output LS9 (see sidebar) for the ′09 ZR-1 Corvette unveiled this month at Detroit's North American International Auto Show.