In 2023, before EVs were “cancelled”, General Motors announced that it was working on a new generation of small-block V8s. After a few years of hype, we finally got our first taste of GM’s updated engine family with the announcement of the 2027 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport, equipped with a new 6.7-liter, 535-horsepower LS6.
You may have already done the math, but 6.7 liters is 409 cubic inches. While the small-block LS6 bears almost no resemblance to the old block 409, that doesn’t make it any less worthy. Activate your inner Brian Wilson (Tear out). And if you’re a fan of V8 throwbacks, GM is giving you two more displacements: 350 and 400.
That’s right, the 5.7-liter small-block truck motor is back. It will make its debut in the 2027 Silverado half-ton, replacing the aging 5.3-liter L83 V8. Similarly, the new 400 (yes; 6.6-litre, not 6.7) will replace the 6.2-litre L87. As is tradition, both are based on the same design (“same block; bigger holes,” as a GM engineer once said). Chevy says the 6.6-liter V8 will be the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in the half-ton segment.
Don’t ask Chevy to put a number on it just yet. Obviously, things are still cooking.
“We put these engines through an extensive testing and validation process to ensure they deliver the durability, capability and dependability Silverado customers have come to expect,” Mark Dickens, Silverado chief engineer, said in a press release. “From the toughest towing scenarios to the daily demands our customers place on their trucks, these next-generation V8s were engineered and proven to perform in the real world.”
Of course, the whole thing comes off as somewhat of an “old oil crisis,” but today’s V8s are more powerful and significantly more fuel-efficient than the older versions from the 70s and 80s that had similar names (so to speak). And remember, these were under development long before there was government consensus on emissions and fuel efficiency targets. I certainly doubt you’ll hear anyone at GM complaining about the timing.
With the addition of these new V8s to the lineup, GM is increasing production of its new V8s at its Tonawanda, New York and St. Catharines, Ontario facilities. The new LS6 is already being assembled in Flint, Michigan.
We’ll learn more about the new 5.7- and 6.6-liter V8s closer to the 2027 Silverado’s on-sale date later this year.
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