On Wednesday, Chevrolet Performance announced the ZZ632/1000 — a naturally aspirated 632-cubic-inch (10,348 cc) V8 producing 1,004 horsepower and 876 lb-ft of torque on pump gasoline.

While 100 hp per liter may not be an engineering marvel today, delivering a crate motor that’s sized to embarrass every other powertrain installed into a production vehicle is an achievement in itself. This 10.3-liter behemoth makes the 8.4-liter V10 installed in Dodge’s Viper (rest in peace) look like it’s supposed to be fitted to a riding lawnmower. Of course, it’s also huge in comparison to literally every powertrain we’ve seen on a project car that didn’t source its parts from vintage aircraft. 

This obviously isn’t the kind of motor you would buy for tooling around town. It’s specifically designed for drag racing applications, with Chevy saying the iron block endured 200 simulated runs on a dyno without a single hiccup. That’s bound to change once you hook up the necessary hardware to sync it to the wheels. But building up a car that can reliably endure the physics accessible through the ZZ632 (or a floor pan that can catch errant driveshafts) is technically on you.

The Big Block V-8 reaches peak power at 6,600 rpm and revs to a recommended maximum of 7,000 rpm. Fuel is delivered by eight port injectors with the engine breathing through CNC-machined high-flow aluminum cylinder heads featuring symmetrical ports. While Big Blocks have traditionally been designed with variations in port shape from cylinder to cylinder, all eight intake ports of the ZZ632 have the same length, volume and layout. Similarly, all of the ZZ632’s exhaust ports are identical. This symmetry ensures individual cylinders all produce similar power.

These RS-X Symmetrical Port cylinder heads are named for powertrain engineer Ron Sperry, who designed them as one of his final accomplishments in more than 50 years working on General Motors performance and racing engines. Sperry also introduced symmetrical ports to Chevy’s iconic Small Block V-8 with the Gen III LS1 engine that debuted in the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette.

The unit shares a mold with Chevrolet Performance’s ZZ572 crate engines, with the manufacturer having bored out the cylinders by 0.04 inches and lengthened the stroke by 0.375 inches. Engineers were likewise required to modify both the block and the connecting rods to make room for the larger explosions. No replacement for displacement and all that.

“This is the biggest, baddest crate engine we’ve ever built,” Russ O’Blenes, GM director of the Performance and Racing Propulsion Team, said upon the motor’s release. “The ZZ632 sits at the top of our unparalleled crate engine lineup as the king of performance. It delivers incredible power, and it does it on pump gas.”

Considering the similarities to the ZZ572, it probably won’t be long before we begin seeing the 10-liter big block undergoing performance modifications to see exactly how far north of 1,004 horsepower it’s willing to go. I frankly cannot wait to see how the ZZ632 compares to the Hellephant 426 Supercharged HEMI V8 (1,00o hp and 950 lb-ft of torque) offered by Mopar once they’re both sporting forced induction.

Deliveries are said to commence early in 2022. However, customers can see it for themselves from November 2nd to the 5th at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Pricing is TBD but it’s bound to reside well above the $16,000 General Motors is currently asking for the deluxe variants of the ZZ572/720R.

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I’m putting one of these in my 94 Miata. It will be unbeatable.

The predictable ZZ632 swap. Should do well in a highly technical autocross event.

Might be a bit nose-heavy.

It will look amazing, too, balanced on the two front wheels.

Huge pumping losses, frictional losses and thermal losses – are we sure this is the best way to power a vehicle over distances of 1/4 mile or less?

“Best” depends on your budget.

It is definitely a good way to convert fuel into noise, which will be its primary application.

At that tractor pull I (finally) attended, one of the most striking things was the difference in aural sensation between the diesel engines and the relatively few gasoline engines. The loudest engines there (officially, not just my impression) were powered by gasoline – and were loud in an annoyingly piercing ‘blatty’ way, compared to the very loud but much ‘smoother’ sounding diesels. Unexpected.

I bet a 1/4 mile catapult would be an awful lot more efficient…. Or, for that matter, a _very_ large caliber cannon. At some level, it comes down to what the poor schmuck in the driver’s seat can endure, though.

Drag racing originated as sort of a Lion’s Roar. While formally a 1/4 mile event, it was intended to signal strength at something more practically useful. Hence why it still maintains some connection to the machinery used for more industrial pursuits, instead of just being weird science fair displays of catapults, cannons and railguns.

Seems more appropriate for an offshore racing powerboat than for a car.

This thing is anemic compared to those marine motors though. Those things push 1500+ routinely.

Oh, put twin turbos on one of these, and they’ll see 1500hp easy.

Also, this is 1000hp on *91 octane unleaded pump gas*, at only 6600RPM.

Have to give credit where credit is due: USA automakers are second to none in the design and build of badass big- block V8 engines.

Not exactly. Koenigsegg’s V-8 is 1,300 HP.

I’d say gm did quite well if you’ve got to swing to a $3M+ twin-turbo mega hypercar limited to 125 units to trump the crate engine that a Nebraska dentist is going to drop into his project Monte Carlo.

Isn’t Koenigsegg using twin turbos? Apply two fat turbos to this naturally aspirated Chevy V8 and it should be up there easily. (Though, yes, Koenigsegg is also using catalytic converters, so the Chevy would face some obstacles there. Remember the old McLaren F1 with a huge bank of converters under the rear hatch?)

I think Koenigseggs real technological V-8 edge comes from their freevalve system. That being said, I can’t wait to see the C8 Z06 which will be a really impressive drivetrain for the money. FPC and hybrid AWD. It’s impressive for the money.

This will be considerably less expensive than a Koenigsegg V8. My guess is around $25k.

“Delivering a crate motor that’s sized to embarrass every other powertrain installed into a production vehicle is an achievement in itself.”

The only thing it will embarrass is its owner that will still lose to more powerful drivetrains in unmodified actual production cars. Plenty of those higher horsepower cars have AWD, so it’s an even greater challenge. Besides the Plaid at 1020, there is the Lucid at 1,111. If you move up to the higher end of the scale, a Koeniggsegg Jesko is a production car and has a V-8 that is 1,281 hp combined with electric motors for 1,603 hp. The Lotus Evija, even though it’s on the pricey side and will only number 130, is still a production car and is 1,972 hp. At the lower end of the price scale is the C-8 Z06 which will probably leave the Plaid behind and should have over 1000 hp and AWD.

Dude, no one putting an ~$20k crate engine into their Nova is going to be embarrassed because an Evija or Lucid Dream Edition Performance exists.

Yes, but I was addressing the statement in the article that said it was designed to embarrass production powertrains, although it was talking about displacement and not horsepower. Also, it’s not just a 20k engine into a nova. That Nova is going to need about $60 into it to go with the engine. Add in the price of a haul vehicle and trailer and you’re into 6 figures. But, I do see a lot of built forced induction 454’s losing to production cars these days. A C8 E-Ray, Z06, or E-Ray with Z06 off the procution line will probably beat anything with this pig bolted into it’s front end. All the displacement and hp in the world isn’t going to get you anywhere if can’t get traction. Also, the ticket you get at the end of a run at a drag strip doesn’t have adjustments for what you’ve paid for a vehicle. A loss is a loss.

“Add in the price of a haul vehicle and trailer and you’re into 6 figures”

Respectfully, you are wildly over estimating the necessary costs. I’ve helped on 502 setups that are no where near $100k. You think this guy with the 572ci is in for 6-figures?

“A loss is a loss.” This isn’t a professional NHRA event or the “Fast & Furious” universe. Who cares what some stranger in the other lane runs in his fancy Corvette or Tesla? What drag strip do you go to where people are such insecure jerks to each other?

To be fair, I think most of the car builders on Motor Trend TV should have three or four (at a minimum) build-offs using this engine. It’d only be fair.

I wonder why it is even in news. Absolutely pointless exercise in developing antiquated engines. it sends the wrong message. Who needs 1000hp? GM is supposed to be all in developing efficient EVs. GM, what a disgrace.

It’s for race teams, amateur racers, and classic car hobbyists. Not for street production cars. As to whether GM is all in on EVs, well, that’s an open question.

“Who needs 1000hp?” You’re on a car enthusiast site and clicked on the article about a Big Block crate motor. Buck up, Nancy.

“Who needs 1000hp?” People that don’t want to or can’t spend the money to get 2,000 hp?

This is the last hurrah for internal combustion engines. Development money should be going to electric technology. Any automaker who waits around will end up way, way behind the competition. A 1000 HP electric motor is relatively easy to produce, and 2000 HP will probably be available in a crate before too long, not that anyone could really apply it to a street vehicle. It would be pretty awesome on the salt flats, though.

“look like it’s supposed to be fitted to a riding lawnmower”

Someone still fretting over California lawnmower regulations? LOL

Evidently, not many TTAC readers are in GM’s target demographic for selling these.

Good to see that GM has finally just passed the power per litre levels of normally aspirated Cosworth pushrod racing engines from 1961/1962.

Of course, Cosworth Formula Junior engines were made to run road courses with perhaps as many as ooh, 25 or 30 laps. Not 1/4 mile belches of thunder with time to cool off before the next 10 second exertion. And old Keith did it with iron heads and blocks and Weber carburetors, with no fuel injection in sight.

Good to know GM is managing to keep up, sort of. Just six decades late and megabucks short. Cosworth’s engines were shipped to race-car manufacrurers in wooden crates, as well. What, are you telling me there’s nothing new under the sun?

Of course, when in 1963 Cosworth made the SCA, an aluminum head with a single overhead cam on the Formula Junior engine, power went up 20 hp per litre just like that. Pushrods, lord love a duck! Not even highway big rig diesel engines have used that crap for ages. NASCAR has been the good ole boy torchbearer for knitting needle valvetrains lo these past number of eons. Well them and the geniuses in Detroit City.

“Good to see that GM has finally just passed the power per litre levels of normally aspirated Cosworth pushrod racing engines from 1961/1962.”

“Of course, Cosworth Formula Junior engines were made to run road courses with perhaps as many as ooh, 25 or 30 laps.”

It is well known that GM has never made a race car engine that ran at a road course.

“when in 1963 Cosworth made the SCA, an aluminum head with a single overhead cam on the Formula Junior engine, power went up 20 hp per litre just like that.”

It is also well known that GM has never made an OHC race car engine.

Are you doing a bit or something?

If this offends you somehow, perhaps you should peruse the OHC V8 engines available in wrecked Cadillacs, or the occasional Corvette. You could even seek out the CT6 Blackwing, with 131hp/L … but apparently only 800 of them were made. https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a32718026/what-happened-to-the-cadillac-blackwing-v-8/

I think the proposition boils down to, “Look, bud, do you want the 1004 HP or don’t you? I have paying customers waiting in line.”

As for road racing, would you not count the Trans-Am or Can-Am series? Seems like OHV Chevrolet engines did OK on those courses.

So what do you guys think; is there a bellhousing that will fit a Bugatti Veyron? I couldn’t find one in Summit Racing. ;)

No one will call this a “10.3-Liter” – it’s a 632. I can’t wait to see one tested on “Engine Masters”, and for Richard Holdener to get ahold of one and add some boost.

I’m not sure Richard Holdener is going to be able to find one of these in a junkyard to thrash on the dyno.

Catching errant driveshafts is usually the job of driveshaft hoops, not the floorpan.

Grumpycat started life as a production Hellcat Challenger. It is no longer stock obviously, but it just ran a 6.99 and just over 200mph. How much money to get a Tesla there?

Impressive (note all the parts suppliers): https://dodgeforum.com/articles/challenger-hellcat-grumpy-cat-goes-699-200/

Also impressive in its own way (3.22 at 402): https://www.motor1.com/news/509411/quarter-mile-402-mph-video/

Bonus: “He said every time he ran the car his ears and nose bled.” https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=347996

I think I’d like to order one as a living room sculpture.

For perspective the ME109 and Spitfire off Battle of Briton times were making about this HP. With V-12’s. And more cube’s. And Super Chargers…

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