General Motors Co. celebrated the production of the 100 millionth small-block engine on Tuesday — the venerable heart of many GM vehicles over the past 56 years. Chevrolet unveiled the small-block in 1955, and the engine has been used in GM vehicles around the world. Today it can be found in global Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac vehicles, as well as Vauxhall in the United Kingdom and Holden in Australia. The production milestone comes during the same month Chevrolet is celebrating its centennial as a brand. Congratulations to Chevy for being the Heart Beat of America for 100 years!
"GM hit a huge milestone, building its 100-millionth (that's 100,000,000) small-block engine, 56 years after its first one rolled off its production line. And in something that almost seems planned, the 100-millionth small-block came in the same month GM celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Used in GM vehicles around the world, the small-block engine can be found in Chevrolets, GMCs, Cadillacs, Vauxhalls and Holdens. The 100-millionth small block was none other than the 638-hp supercharged LS9 powerplant, found in the Corvette ZR1, and was hand-built at GM's Performance Build Center. Unfortunately no lucky owner will be blessed with the milestone engine, GM will be preserving it as part of its historical collection. The small-block engine delivers guilt-free performance," said Winegarden. "It is the quintessential V-8 engine and a living legend that is more relevant than ever." More importantly, GM is already looking into the future with their announcement that the fifth-generation small-block is under development and will feature a new direct-injection combustion system helping enhance efficiency over the current-generation power plant.
GM's rich history of the small-block started in 1955 with a 4.3L 195-hp powerplant, and its future is surely looking bright after 56 years of brilliant success.
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