50 Reasons Why We Love It

41. Don't just count the cams
The mighty quad cam, all-aluminum ZR-1 V-8 was derived from the essential dimensions of the small-block.

42. Australia stopped it from becoming just a truck motor
For a while, after the demise of the ancient F-bodies, the only cars other than the Corvette to use V-8 small-block power were Aussie-built Holden sedans, wagons, and 'utes.

43. Studebaker used it
Studebaker installed 25,000 195-horsepower small-blocks, rechristened Thunderbolt 283 in the build-out of its last 1965-1966 Lark Daytona models made in Hamilton, Ontario. The Avanti and Avanti II used the small-block for decades.

44. Volvo, too
Volvo Penta-branded inboard boat engines were often rebadged small-blocks. Same goes for Mercruiser versions.

45. The Frankenstein engines
The 372- and 383-cube came from mixing and matching different parts. The 372 resulted from fitting a 400 block with a 350 forged crank; the 383 from combining a 400 crank (with main journal size reduced) in a cooler-running, fully water-jacketed 350 block with a .30 overbore.

46. Everyone wanted a piece
In 1955, there were 17 different part numbers for variations on the 265-cubic-inch small-block V-8. That number bloomed to more than 150 in the years before GM Powertrain assumed control of all GM engine production.

47. It's almost timeless
The first major redesign that ended backward compatibility of small-block components was the 1992 Gen II, with reverse-flow cooling, new heads, crank-triggered optical distributor, new intake manifold, and more.

48. It's never been low-tech
John Dolza, who helped develop the 1957 fuel-injection system, first worked on improving the fuel-injection systems for high-altitude military aircraft engines produced by GM's defense plants during the Second World War.

49. It made Ed Cole famous
Of Cole's 47 years at GM, only 10 were spent at Chevrolet. But that decade brought the design and development of the small-block and the air-cooled Corvair.

50. it's one of the greatest engines of all time--And it's one of ours.