The big Detroit manufacturers have always had a crazy V8 somewhere up their sleeves. Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have made a name for themselves for creating a huge amount of some of the world's best and most insane V8s. That's equally the case today as it was back in the golden age of muscle cars. All these engines were absolute monsters for their time, and powered some of the most legendary cars of their eras. There are even a couple on this list that have been able to achieve over 1,000 hp. Ford Boss 429 Maximum Power: 375 hp Mecum Auctions The Ford Boss 429 engine has a fairly similar story to the Chrysler 426 Hemi. It was a proper big block unit (429 cubic inches, or 7 liters) developed for racing, and then filtered down into a road car. That road car in particular was the Ford Mustang Boss 429, a homologation special created so that the car and engine were both legal to use in NASCAR. These original Boss 429s are absolutely legendary, and for good reason. They were among the fastest and most powerful muscle cars you could get in the golden age of this kind of car. Mecum Auctions The road-going version of the Boss 429 engine has 375 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. That gives it a proper big block feel similar to the 426 Hemi, and the right kind of power and torque to be an absolute monster on the streets and drag strips of the late '60s and early '70s. Tuners got their hands on this engine very quickly, making incredible builds out of it like the Super Boss 429 Lawman. Production Years: 1969-1970 Displacement: 7 liters Power: 375 hp Torque: 450 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Ford Boss 429 Mustang Chrysler 426 Hemi Maximum Power: 425 hp Mecum This is possibly the most famous of Chrysler's 'Hemi' engines. The 426 Hemi is a big-block V8 that was originally developed for NASCAR. It then filtered down into street applications, which is where it gained most of its infamy. Right out of the gate, it gained a reputation for being a big, heavy engine with a lot of power. As a result, it was often nicknamed the "elephant engine". As the name suggests, the 426 Hemi is 426 cubic inches in displacement. That's 7 liters in today's parlance, making it bigger than most modern engines. That huge size was a big factor in its 425 hp gross power and 490 lb-ft of torque – very impressive figures for the 1960s! Thanks to its racing-developed internals, it could be pushed beyond that initial power output by any tuner who knew their stuff. That made it an engine of choice for any hobbyist racer who wanted to build a car that could dominate the drag strip. Mecum The 426 Hemi found its way into several iconic muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. This includes the Dodge Charger, the Plymouth Road Runner, and the Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda. The Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Road Runner Superbird NASCAR homologation specials could also be equipped with the 426. The 426 being available in these cars no doubt helped them to become as legendary as they did, and 426-engined examples are highly prized by collectors. Production Years: 1964-1971 Displacement: 7 liters Power: 425 hp (gross), 350 hp (net) Torque: 490 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Dodge Charger, Dodge Charger Daytona, Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, Plymouth Road Runner, Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Chevrolet L72 427 Maximum Power: 435 hp via Bring A Trailer Another one of America's venerated big blocks, the Chevrolet L72 is easily one of the most impressive engines General Motors has ever produced. This 427 cubic inch (7.0-liter) engine has an output of 425-435 hp and 460 lb-ft from the factory, a hugely impressive amount for the 1960s. This, of course, got boosted up further and further once tuners got their hands on them. via Bring A Trailer The main production cars the L72 was used in were the Chevrolet Corvette of its era, as well as the full-sized cars, such as the Chevrolet Impala. But, using the COPO system, you could have the L72 put into the Camaro or the Chevelle. If you took that option, what you got was something that had monster levels of performance for a car from the 1960s. Don Yenko took full advantage of this, creating Camaro builds that have become absolutely legendary today and are heavily prized by collectors. Production Years: 1966-1969 Displacement: 7 liters Power: 425-435 hp Torque: 460 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Chevelle, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Impala Chevrolet LS6 Maximum Power: 450 hp Bring a Trailer Another legendary General Motors big block engine, the Chevrolet LS6 was only available for a short amount of time. But, within that short time and in the years that followed, it gained a legendary reputation for its power and performance. Often known as the 454 LS6 due to its 454 cubic inch (7.4 liter) displacement, this engine was available in the 1970 and 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Chevrolet El Camino SS, and Chevrolet Corvette. Mecum The 454 LS6 typically had an output of 425-450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. That turned any car that was optioned with it into an absolute monster, and that's even before tuners got their hands on it. With figures like that in the early 1970s, it's no wonder that this big block beast became the legend it is now. Production Years: 1970-1971 Displacement: 7.4 liters Power: 425-450 hp Torque: 500 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet El Camino SS Chevrolet LS7 Maximum Power: 505 HP Bring A Trailer You might have thought that the big block engine died off after the golden age of muscle cars. That really isn't the case, though, as Chevrolet brought the big block style engine fully back in the mid-2000s with the LS7. Initially a 7-liter, naturally aspirated V8, this engine produces 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. That made it the most powerful naturally aspirated engine that GM ever produced for a long time. Via: Bring a Trailer The car that the LS7 is most associated with is the C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. That was the first car to use the engine, and one of the cars that used it for the longest period of time. But, it was far from the only car that got this glorious modern big block style power plant. The 2014-2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 also used the LS7, as did the Zenvo ST1 hypercar. In the Zenvo, it was twin-charged (equipped with both a turbocharger and a supercharger), boosting it to an incredible 1,089 hp and 1,055 lb-ft of torque. Production Years: 2006-2022 Displacement: 7 liters Power: 505-1,089 hp Torque: 470-1,055 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Zenvo ST1 Ford Voodoo Maximum Power: 526 hp Shelby Ford's modular V8 has spawned quite a few brilliant variants over its production run. One of the most impressive of those has to be the Voodoo. It's significantly bigger than the basic modular V8, at 5.2 liters in displacement instead of 4.6. It's also one of only two engines on this list to have a flat-plane crankshaft. This was something that Ford specifically wanted for the Voodoo, and they even went out and bought a Ferrari California to use its flat-plane V8 as a benchmark. The result of that was a car that had 526 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to the higher-revving nature of flat-plane engines, it could also rev up to 8,250 rpm. Via: Mecum Auctions The Voodoo V8 was only ever used in the S550 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350and GT350R. These cars have since become prized by muscle car enthusiasts. Its big power and incredibly racy nature make it easily one of the most insane engines to ever come out of one of the big Detroit manufacturers. Production Years: 2015-2020 Displacement: 5.2 liters Power: 526 hp Torque: 429 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Ford Shelby Mustang GT350, Ford Shelby Mustang GT350R Chevrolet LS9 Maximum Power: 638 hp Bring a Trailer When Chevrolet wanted to make a ZR1 version of the C6 Corvette, it had to find a way to top the already incredible LS7. While it was initially reported that Chevy would be developing an even bigger engine than the 7.0-liter LS7, the engine that it actually got was the 6.2-liter supercharged LS9. While it may be smaller than the LS7, it's significantly more powerful. The C6 ZR1 has an output of 638 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful Corvettes ever put into production. Chevrolet The LS9 is most associated with the C6 ZR1, as it's the car it was developed for. But, several other cars ended up using this supercharged beast. Many of them were prototypes, like the VLF Destino, or low-production specials, like the Equus Bass 770 or the Holden HSV GTSR W1. It is a bit of a shame that this engine wasn't very widely used. But, the C6 ZR1 was fantastic enough to give the LS9 a deserved spot as one of the most insane factory engines ever to come out of Detroit. Production Years: 2009-2013 Displacement: 6.2 liters Power: 638 hp Torque: 604 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Ford Predator Maximum Power: 815 hp Via: Mecum Auctions When it comes to the iterations of the Ford Modular V8, the Predator is perhaps the most impressive of them all. To make the Predator, Ford increased the displacement of the Modular V8 from 4.6 liters to 5.2 (much like what it did with the Voodoo we mentioned earlier) and added a supercharger for good measure. The result of that was an engine that was seriously powerful. In fact, it was so powerful that it left the already very racy Voodoo engine in the dust. Ford The car that most people will associate the Predator with is the S550 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500. Under the GTD's hood, it produced 760 hp and 625 lb-ft of torque. But, a little bit later, it was tuned and used as the heart of the most extreme Mustang that's ever been made. That's the Ford Mustang GTD, a barely road-legal race car that produces 815 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. Production Years: 2020-Present Displacement: 5.2 liters Power: 760-815 hp Torque: 625-664 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Ford Mustang GTD, Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Dodge Hellcat Maximum Power: 1,025 hp Via: Bring a Trailer When it comes to modern American V8 engines, Dodge's 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8 is in a class of its own. It made headlines as soon as it appeared in the Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat models in the mid-2010s, and for good reason. Even in its most basic form, it still has enormous amounts of power (707 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque). That only went up as more and more higher-performance cars got that engine. The most powerful variant that's ever been made of it is the one that powers the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. This pushes out 1,025 hp and 945 lb-ft of torque, and makes the Demon 170 a force to be reckoned with on the drag strip. Mecum While most people know the Hellcat for its use in the Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger, those were far from the only cars it was put into. Jeep took advantage of being within the Stellantis umbrella to slot it into a high-performance version of the Grand Cherokee SUV. This created the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, one of the most powerful SUVs you could get on the market while it was on sale. It's also used in the Ram 1500 TRX, Stellantis' rival to the Ford F-150 Raptor. Regardless of what car (or truck) it's put in, the Hellcat engine never fails to make magic! Production Years: 2015-Present Displacement: 6.2 liters Power: 707-1,025 hp Torque: 650-945 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, Ram 1500 TRX Chevrolet Gemini Maximum Power: 1,064 hp BaT The most recent engine on this list is perhaps one of the most impressive to ever come out of Detroit. The Chevrolet Gemini is not a massive engine, displacing just 5.5 liters. However, it is easily the most powerful small-block engine General Motors has ever produced. Available in both naturally aspirated (LT6) and twin-turbocharged (LT7) forms, the LT6 produces 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. That makes it the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever. Put those twin turbos on with the LT7, and those figures go up to an astonishing 1,064 hp and 828 lb-ft of torque. Both versions also scream up to a redline of 8,000 rpm, thanks to its flat-plane crankshaft. Chevrolet You'll only find the Chevrolet Gemini in the higher-performance variants of the C8 Chevrolet Corvette. The Z06 uses the naturally aspirated LT6 version, while the ZR1 and the ZR1X use the twin-turbocharged LT7. In the ZR1X, that LT7 engine is paired up with the all-wheel drive hybrid system from the Corvette E-Ray to boost the power (and handling!) even further. The ZR1X is claimed to have a combined output of 1,250 hp, making it the most powerful Corvette ever produced. Production Years: 2022-Present Displacement: 5.5 liters Power: 670-1,064 hp Torque: 460-828 lb-ft Noteworthy Applications: Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X Sources: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Holden, Jeep, Plymouth, Ram, VLF, Zenvo
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Liked by Jackson Côté, Jacob Hall
