GM is celebrating an important milestone. The small-block V8 engine first came to market 70 years ago for 1955 pickup trucks and cars. Since then, Chevrolet estimates that the company produced close to 113,000,000 small-block V8 engines (not counting big-block V8 engines or diesel V8s). This includes the Chevy 350 cu-in V8, the 4.8L V8, the 5.3L V8, the 6.2L V8, and others. Many boat manufacturers have also used GM small-block V8 engines to power a variety of marine applications.
Here is a Quick Look at the small-block V8 timeline.
The small-block GM V8 story is not over. Last year (in 2023), General Motors invested $854 million to support production of the sixth-generation small-block V8 engine family. This spans across plants in Michigan, Ohio and New York. This is an impressive commitment considering more stringent emissions regulations that exist now and the ones that are coming over the next couple of years.
We still do not have a date on when the 6th-gen V8 engines will make their debut.
In the meantime, enjoy these classic Chevy Truck ads.
