10 Of The Most Iconic Big Block Engines Ever Built

The V8 engine configuration has long been favored for its inherently favorable qualities of being well-balanced, relatively compact, and with a high capacity for power output. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, French aero engine builder Levavasseur introduced his Antionette V8 as the first engine produced with this configuration. Although some inventive tinkerers installed Antionettes in automobiles, Cadillac took the lead in producing the first mass-produced. V8 for passenger cars in 1914 with its 5.4-liter L-head V8. 13,000 units were produced in the first year

In the era following WWII, American auto manufacturers pioneered the mass-market V8 engine, making it the standard-bearer powering American cars. Displacement figures for early models remained modest until the 1960s brought an increasing degree of large and powerful American V8 engines to market, and they became known as big block V8s. A big block is not well defined, but the inherent characteristics generally include large displacements of more than 400 cubic inches (about 6.5 liters) with engine blocks that are physically larger than engines with smaller displacements. The girth of the block factors into this unofficial designation as the modern 7.0-liter LS7 from the Corvette is based on a small block design while early Chevrolet W-series 348 and 409 engines are big blocks.

Regardless of how they are classified, these 10 big block V8s are the most iconic ever built.

Chrysler's development of new V8 engines pioneered the use of hemispherical combustion chambers to increase efficiency and power output beginning in the 1950s. Looking for ways to gain an edge in racing and taking advantage of new rules allowing larger engines, engineers put together a new engine using the bottom end from its 413 Max Wedge with displacement increased to 426 and adding Hemi heads based on existing designs. The result became widely known as the 426 Hemi, and it became a legend almost overnight.

Engineers created the 426 Hemi, aka The Elephant, explicitly to win NASCAR races for Chrysler. Rules of the day stipulated that cars on the track must be fundamentally the same as what one could buy at the dealership, so the new engine destined for the track was also available at your local dealer. When it debuted on the track in the 1964 NASCAR racing season, it dominated the series, winning race after race, sending the other automakers scrambling to create something that could keep up. The road-legal version came from the factory with 425 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful options of the day.

Production ended in 1971. While it was successful on the track, it was never a big seller, likely due to its high cost. A total of 11,000 units came from the factory installed in some of the biggest muscle car legends, including Challengers, Chargers, Roadrunners, and Daytonas.

This big snake is part of a family of serpentine performers all donning the Ford Cobra badge. The first year Cobra Jet engine used the FE engine architecture introduced by Ford in 1958. This engine came about not as a result of dedicated engineers trying to squeeze more power out of a new design, but from a dealer tinkering on new cars to sale on his lot. Using Ford's then-new 428 V8, Ford dealer Bob Tasca installed heads from a Ford 427 V8, finding that it improved airflow dramatically, overcoming one of the weak points of the new 428.

After visiting Tasca's dealership to see his new creation, Ford engineers took his engine to be studied and used it as the basis for what would become the 428 Cobra Jet. These delivered strong results at NHRA events while helping to move new cars on the lot. By 1970, the FE engine was on the way out and replaced by a new 385 series of big block engines. A new 429 Cobra Jet arrived in 1970 as the top choice for drivers who wanted the most power Ford could offer at that time. In its top option level, the Super Cobra Jet, which came with stronger internals, produced 375 horsepower with 450 lb-ft of torque. Sadly, production only lasted two years, as Ford downgraded all Cobra Jet production to its 351 Windsor small block through 1974.

Chevrolet initially introduced a new big block line of engines in 1965 with its popular 396 and slightly larger 427. This engine architecture remained in production for decades, although mostly as the 454 in trucks from the mid-70s. However, before the era of emissions regulations and reduced power, Chevrolet offered an engine on its order sheets with the ZL1 code. Now famous for being the top-performing Camaro option, its origins begin with special racing products ordered by dealers wanting to offer race-ready cars right off the lot.

Fred Gibb of Kansas City placed an order for 50 COPO Camaro ZL1 models receiving the new high-performance 427 V8, making them qualify for NHRA racing. The big block ZL1 came with thicker and stronger parts throughout, modified heads for greater flow, and a high-rise intake topped off with a Holley 850-cfm double-pumper carburetor. Chevrolet rated the engine at 430 horsepower but dyno tests showed output closer to 550.

The resulting special order car that came from this ended up being extraordinarily expensive. The sticker price of $7,200 dwarfed the Corvette's retail of $4,700, making them very hard to sell. Regardless of sales stats, the performance on the street was undeniable. The drag strip time of a stock Hemi 'Cuda clocked in at 14.25 seconds, while the ZL1 Camaro shaved more than a full second off that time at 13.16.

Sometimes an object can be considered iconic not for being the highest performer or the most unique but for being ubiquitous and trusted. Such as the case with Ford's 460 V8 engine. Derived from the same 385 series of engines that spawned the 429 Super Cobra Jet, the 460 served a completely different purpose. Due to its strong torque output at low rpm, the 460 became the workhorse of Ford's engine throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Initially, the Lima 460, named for the Lima, Ohio engine plant, came exclusively in Lincoln models in the early '70s when it was going through a phase of building mammoth land barges of comfort and sedate luxury. With tons of weight in massive body panels and yards of crushed velour, the 460 provided the torque to carry eight passengers with another five in the giant trunk. Within a couple of years, Mercury and Ford began offering the 460 in vehicles of similar girth but by 1978, it became an option only for trucks.

Power fluctuated over the years while torque remained strong throughout. Ford 460s faithfully pulled pickups, vans, and specialty vehicles like motorhomes all over the country through its demise in 1998. Later versions received fuel injection but an increasing need for higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions led to the Modular engine design taking over entirely by the 2000s.

For an example of absolute excess in the form of luxury motoring, look no further than Cadillacs from the early '70s. Not only did they measure nearly 20 feet in length, they were powered by the biggest engine ever mass-produced for passenger cars, the Cadillac 500 V8. A full 8.2 liters of low-revving and high-torque machinery ensured passengers of those giant old Cadillacs never felt anything but a serene driving experience.

Cadillac introduced a large 472 V8 in 1968 but decided to bump that up to 500 for a debut the next year. First available in 1970 only in the Fleetwood Eldorado, a front-wheel-drive coupe measuring nearly 19.5 feet in length and weighing 4,630 pounds. Thanks to the massive V8, Eldorado drivers received 400 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque to ensure no traffic would be held up as it approached cruising speed on the highway. Nothing about this engine was made for performance though. This one was all about that low-end power to get such a giant machine going.

Things changed a bit after its debut. The 500 became the only engine on all 1975 models except Seville but its output had been tamped down to just 210 horsepower. It fell even more in 1976 when this giant 8.2-liter engine barely mustered 190 horsepower, less than many compact cars today offer. Cadillac dropped the 500 in 1977 as a new era of smaller displacement engines approached.

Most big block V8 discussion centers around cars of the '60s and '70s and a few trucks in the years following. Yet, some may forget that Chevrolet's biggest big block came in much later. Surprisingly, the Vortec 8.1-liter V8 debuted in 2001, continuing in production until 2007.

Just as the LS engine architecture began proliferating across Chevrolet's lineup of V8-powered vehicles, the Vortec architecture it replaced soldiered on in what was developed as a gasoline alternative to diesel options for high torque applications. The big Vortec offered truck buyers ample pulling power with its 340 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque for significant savings over a diesel alternative with similar output. The Duramax diesel of the era cost nearly six times more than the $850 Vortec option. Chevy offered this on its range of pickups and Suburbans as well as its Express heavy-duty vans, but it also powered heavy trucks like the Kodiak as well as select boats, buses, and motorhomes.

Although it is known to be a very reliable engine with generous power, the substantial increase in output from the Duramax diesel line eventually made the Vortec 8.1 look like a poor choice for those who needed more torque, especially since small block engines were near matching the Vortec by the time it was phased out.

By 1973, most automakers had dropped big block engines from performance cars, reserving them for large passenger cars and trucks only. Some people at Pontiac must have ignored a memo as they continued into the 1973 model year offering the Pontiac 455 Super Duty on the second-gen Trans Am. But what makes it such an icon is perhaps less about what it is and more about what it was used to do.

Federal emissions standards for 1973 saw Pontiac installing an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system on all cars along with a Transmission Controlled Spark (TCS) system. To completely oversimplify the complex system, it was meant to lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) output by controlling the timing of the spark and introducing a small amount of exhaust gas into the engine intake. The EGR reduces NOx while TCS reduces CO. Pontiac built its 455 Super Duty V8 with the correct parameters for the cars to pass EPA testing for 1973. Except they didn't.

The EGR and TCS were cleverly devised to operate as intended for the duration of the test, reverting to an unrestricted operation with better performance after a certain time as the car shifted through the gears and reset when returning to first gear. The EPA caught on and forced Pontiac to change it to a fully compliant system, which came midway through the year. Big block performance was on a sharp decline at this point, but the Pontiac 455 nonetheless soldiered on until 1976, ending the Big Block era.

For years, General Motors has shared major components across its various brands but that has not always been the case. While several divisions offered a 455 V8, the Oldsmobile Rocket 455 is a unique and powerful piece of machinery.

As a maker of muscle cars, Oldsmobile is often overlooked. While it is known for comfortable cars beloved by retirees, Olds knew how to make a car with "grunt." Olds provided this with its venerable Rocket 455 beginning in 1968. It was a proper choice for the big cars of the day, but it was also offered on the Toronado. With the W34 option package, it was good for 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of tire-shredding torque, which is a tantalizing thought considering Toronados shredded their front tires. Also in 1968, Hurst Performance customized 500 Cutlasses powered by the 455, creating for Oldsmobile an excellent muscle car with a Hurst shifter and affordable Oldsmobile luxury.

Oldsmobile made the big block Cutlass a regular production model with the 442 in 1969. The 442 proved to be a popular option and Oldsmobile kept it around until 1991, although without a big block after 1972. However, the front-wheel-drive setup proved to be such a robust and reliable unit that they were used in the remarkable GMC motorhome until 1976.

GM management imposed a limit of 400 cubic inches to all compact and midsize models across all divisions throughout the 1960s, reserving big blocks for large cars only. Buick had a big block engine developed in 1967 with a displacement of 400 cubic inches, later growing to 430. These were used in big Buicks like the Riviera and Electra, but in 1970, GM lifted its restrictions, and Buick got to work.

Engineers immediately opened up its big block to 455 cubic inches to create a torque-heavy bruiser to put in its smaller cars and compete with the growing muscle car segment. Buick made the engine available across its range of cars, but it was in the GS and GSX where it shined. When equipped with the top-range Stage 1 engine package, a slick GSX came with more than adequate horsepower of 370, but the torque rating was huge at 510 lb-ft. With plenty of power to compete in its segment, the Buick GSX offered a finer interior than a Challenger or Chevelle, making it something of a gentleman's racer.

In the '70s, Buick's lineup included some giant land yachts, which is where the 455 found a home until it was phased out after 1976. The performance-oriented models were phased out after only a couple of years, and the torque monster 455 found itself reduced to having just 205 horsepower at the end.

Upon its introduction, Ford's Modular V8 was highly praised for being an innovative design using overhead cams for the first time on an American V8. However, it was not the first Ford V8 with such a setup. Embarrassed over losses to the then-new Dodge 426 Hemi in 1964, that Ford went to the drawing board and developed what would be called the 427 Cammer in just three months.

Part of the reason for its short development time is that it was not a clean sheet design. Using the existing FE 427 V8, Ford designed new heads that would retain a 2-valve setup and give them hemispherical combustion chambers. A single cam actuated valves in each head and they were driven by an extraordinarily long 7-foot timing chain, a weak point as stretched chains caused timing issues. Testing using various combinations of carburetors or fuel injection resulted in a likely output potential of 600 horsepower.

With a new engine ready, attempts to certify it for NASCAR competition stalled, and officials eventually banned the "specialty race engine," killing the Cammer for its intended purpose. Undeterred, Ford introduced it to drag racers who eagerly adopted it and used it effectively to win many races in the following years. Ford eventually lost interest, moving onto newer projects like the 385-series-based Boss 429 Mustang, ending official support for the old FE-based Cammer. They are nearly unattainable today, though one sold recently on Bring a Trailer for an astonishing $140,000.