Chevrolet Performance Announces New Crate Engines, Including ZR1 LT5
Chevrolet Performance to formally debut ZR1 LT5 V8 crate engine at this years’ SEMA show.
Chevrolet Performance continues to announced details for the upcoming SEMA show, happening from October 30 to November 2. First, the brand announced more details about the 2019 Camaro line-up. Now, perhaps more fitting to the SEMA crowd, Chevrolet Performance has announced new additions to this massive selection of available crate engines. To showcase these newly-available engines, the company has built three stunning rides for the show. However, one clearly stands above the rest.
Chevrolet Performance has announced that the LT5 engine, which powers the 2019 Corvette ZR1, will be available directly from your local Chevy dealership. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, the LT5 is a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 good for 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque. The LT5 joins a portfolio of almost 50 engines available directly from Chevrolet. This includes small block, big block, LS, LSX, LT, Circle Track and COPO crate engines, giving enthusiasts more choices for powering their projects.
To showcase the new LT5 crate engine, Chevrolet has dropped one into a 1973 Chevelle Laguna. Introduced for ’73, the Chevelle Laguna has a short, but storied history in NASCAR. So what better ride to drop in a factory crate engine than the basis for a stock car racer. Rather amusingly, in a nod to the ZR1 on which the engine is based, this show car features a ZR1-style carbon fiber hood. Additionally, it also features period-correct NASCAR-inspired body panels and rides 18-inch wheels styled to look like a retro steelie.
Alongside the Chevelle Laguna will be a 1967 C10 pick-up sporting the also-new ZZ6 EFI crate engine. Designed to look like, and swap into older vehicles like the classic 350 Chevy, the ZZ6 replaces the carb setup with, naturally, EFI. The ZZ6 will be good for 420 horsepower.
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Last but not least, beside that will be a 1978 K10 Silverado with the new heavy-duty L96 V8 swap. This fuel-injected truck engine produces 360 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, and, like the aforementioned ZZ6, is designed to classic heavy-duty work and box truck applications.
Interestingly, Chevrolet has also quietly announced alongside the addition of the LT5 that for 2019, the supercharged 650 horsepower LT4 E-ROD joins the lineup of LS3 E-ROD, LSA E-ROD and LT1 E-ROD systems. The company also noted that they will also start supplying 6L80E automatic transmissions specifically designed for swapped applications. Many Chevrolet Performance crate engines are offered as Connect & Cruise combinations and emissions-legal E-ROD systems. The Connect & Cruise combos match crate engines with transmissions and the necessary controllers, while the E-ROD systems include emissions equipment that make them eligible for installation in millions of 1995-and-earlier vehicles in California. We’re hoping the LT5 becomes E-ROD compliant soon, because imagine the swaps we will see.
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