General Motors Co. celebrated the production of the 100 millionth small-block engine yesterday.  This engine has been the heart of many GM vehicles over the past 56 years.  It was first introduced by Chevrolet in 1955 and has been used in GM vehicles around the world; including GMC and Cadillac vehicles in the US and Vauxhall in the United Kingdom and Holden in Australia.

“The small block is the engine that brought high-performance to the people,” said David Cole, founder and emeritus chairman of Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.  “There is an elegant simplicity in its design that made it instantly great when new and enables it to thrive almost six decades later.”

The 100 millionth engine is a 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 small block; the power behind the 205-mph Corvette ZR1.  The actual 100 millionth vehicle will be preserved by GM as part of its historical collection.