History of GM Engines
General Motors, the umbrella corporation for Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, GMC and other vehicles, has been producing engines since 1909. GM flirted with developing an eight-cylinder engine for its Chevrolets in 1917 but focused primarily on four- and six-cylinder engine production until the 1950s. Other GM engines included the big-block V-8 to power GM's muscle cars, the small-block V-8, Corvair's short-lived horizontally opposed four-cylinder, the LT and LS series and the Vortec series.
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Playing it Safe
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GM preferred to focus on the styling and comfort of its automobiles and was not an engineering innovator. Rather, engineers played it safe by powering GM vehicles with a series of in-line four- and six-cylinder engines from the World War I era until the 1950s. Meanwhile, Ford developed the legendary flathead V-8 for its 1932 coupes and sedans. Chrysler experimented with the Hemi V-8 from the late 1930s until it perfected the engine in the early 1950s.
Popular Engine
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GM produced in 1955 perhaps its most popular and durable engine: the small-block V-8. Manufactured primarily for the Chevrolet line, the small-block V-8 made its debut with a 265-cubic-inch displacement and provided up to 315 horsepower. The 327 was manufactured from 1962 to 1969. The most popular engine was the 350, which was launched in 1967 and remained in production as of 2010 as a replacement, or crate, engine. GM's big-block V-8s helped ignite the muscle car wars of the 1960s. The 425-horsepower 396-cubic-inch V-8 was originally launched in 1958. A 402 and 454 V-8 appeared in 1970.
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Chevy Alternatives
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In 1960, GM developed the V-6 for its GMC trucks and the 1961 Buick Special. The V-6 lasted until 1967 and then revived when the fuel crises struck in the 1970s. In 1957 the Buick version of the V-8 was launched. This V-8 displaced 364 cubic inches and developed 250 horsepower. A 401 and 430 also were produced. A 455 V-8 was available on Buicks from 1970 to 1976. In 1970, the 400-horsepower 500-cubic-inch V-8 was installed in Cadillacs.
The Big Crash
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The 1970s oil crises, higher insurance rates and tougher federal emissions regulations forced General Motors to engineer more fuel efficient and less polluting engines. The small- and big-block V-8s were detuned to drop horsepower.The 396 and 454 fell out of favor. GM produced a fuel-efficient V-6 for the 1978 Chevy Malibu. The V-6 appeared in several variations, including the 4.3-liter model in the early 2000s.
Contemporary Engines
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The LT small-block V-8 was developed in 1992 and powered the Corvette. The LT was equipped with aluminum heads and a reverse-flow cooling system that kept the temperature of the heads low before cooling the rest of the engine. The LT1 model wielded up to 300 horsepower, according to Superchevy.com. The LS series was launched in 1997 as a new generation big-block V-8 engine. The compact Vortec 4200 made its debut in 2002 as a 275-horsepower, 4.2-liter in-line six-cylinder. A Vortec V-8 model appeared in 1999 with a 4.8-liter displacement to power GMC and Chevy Silverado trucks.
Northstar
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The Northstar series V-8 engines were launched in 1992 to power the two-seater Cadillac Allanté. GM also equipped Buicks, Oldsmobiles and other Cadillac models with the Northstar. A supercharged 443-horsepower 4.4-liter version was installed in the 2006-to-2008 Cadillac XLR-V models.
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References
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- Photo Credit Auto Engine image by Andrew Breeden from Fotolia.com
