Bugatti Veyron levels of power is now to be available off the shelf, courtesy of Chevrolet.
While the rest of the world is transitioning itself into an electrified future, news of this switch to EVs hasn’t really seemed to reach the United States yet. Or more precisely their automotive aftermarket scene, with evidence to this fact coming most recently from Chevrolet Performance, who just unveiled their new 1,004 hp 10.35-litre crate V8.
Yes, you didn’t read that wrong. The performance parts division of Chevrolet will soon be offering an engine with Bugatti Veyron levels of power off the shelf, ready to be plonked into any mad engine swap creation. Perhaps even more impressively too, this new 632 cubic inch naturally aspirated V8 motor delivers that kind of power (in addition to a whopping 1,188 Nm of torque) running on regular 93-octane pump gas.
Christened as the ZZ632/1000, Chevrolet Performance is naturally touting for this new flagship in its lineup to be the ‘biggest, baddest crate engine’ they have ever build. And tech specs for this engine really do back that claim up, with this cast-iron big block V8 — that is incidentally shares its mould with the ZZ572 motor out of the COPO Camaro — coming as standard with various performance parts like a forged steel crankshaft and rods, forged aluminium pistons, high-flow aluminium cylinder heads, port fuel injection, as well as a CNC-machined intake manifold.
Despite the wealth of technical detail available this crate engine however, Chevrolet however is still unfortunately remanning resolutely mum on the price of its ZZ632/1000 V8. Further details though on this front are expected to be revealed when it goes on display at the 2021 SEMA show come November, with first deliveries of these monster motors meanwhile to tentatively begin sometime early next year. Leaving plenty of time therefore to search for a donor car to be the perfect candidate in receiving what is to possibly be the wildest engine swap ever.
PRESS RELEASE: Chevrolet Performance today introduced the ZZ632/1000 crate engine — the largest and most powerful crate engine in the brand’s history. The naturally aspirated 632-cubic-inch V-8 produces 1,004 horsepower and 876 lb-ft of torque.
“This is the biggest, baddest crate engine we’ve ever built,” said Russ O’Blenes, GM director of the Performance and Racing Propulsion Team. “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.”
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 ZZ632’s iron block shares a mold with Chevrolet Performance’s ZZ572 crate engines, but the castings are machined to accommodate the massive 632-cubic-inch displacement. The bore grows by 0.040 inch compared to the 572-cubic-inch V-8s, with most of the displacement gain coming from a stroke that’s 0.375 inch longer. To provide clearance for that long stroke, engineers modified both the block and the connecting rods. Four-bolt main caps and a forged rotating assembly ensure strength and durability. During development, a single engine endured more than 200 simulated drag strip passes on a dynamometer.
The ZZ632/1000 crate engine will be on display at the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 2–5. Chevrolet Performance dealers will begin deliveries in early 2022.
