Celebrating The Naturally Aspirated Motors While We Still Can

Behold, the almighty 7.0L LS7.

With the upcoming CAFE fuel mileage standards looming in the distance and with the ever increasing push for decreased emissions it’s no wonder manufacturers are turning to smaller displacement motors with forced induction.
Don’t get me wrong, forced induction is awesome, but with all the rage directed at huge turbos and big blowers (in the aftermarket) it begs the question, does anyone still prefer a high revving, big power, naturally aspirated motor? In my humble opinion (having owned several NA, blower and FI cars/trucks) there is nothing like a high horsepower all motor setup. It’s raw, vicious (expensive) and the throttle response is borderline telepathic.
The notion of big power NA cars going the way of the dinosaur got me thinking about the many wonderful naturally aspirated motors GM has made over the years. Even though I haven’t been fortunate enough to own an LS7-equipped car, I have a soft spot for the dry-sump, 7.0L high-RPM mill.
In a day and age of shrinking displacements and falling horsepower figures GM flipped the middle finger to conformity and released the big boy LS7 back in 2006. Prior to the LS7 we hadn’t seen a high-performance 427 cubic inch motor in decades, but GM caught everyone off guard with one heckuva motor. It had factory forged internals (save for the pistons), pumped compression and high-flowing heads for a total of 505 HP and 470 LBFT with a rev-ceiling of 7000 RPM–and that was stock!
GM is carrying the torch with the upcoming 6.2L 11:5.1 LT1 motor, but they’ve hinted at the fact the next Z06, ZR1 or whatever designation they give the high-zoot Corvette, won’t likely be powered by a big displacement motor, but rather a smaller, forced-induction setup. Don’t get me wrong, the ZR1 proves that factory forced induction cars are lethal, but for me, whenever I scrape together enough coin, I’ll be buying a used C6 Z06.
Sure the new LSA and LS9 motors are beyond badass, but for me there’s something special about the LS7. So with that said, lets celebrate all of the naturally aspirated LS, LT and older motors that have forever changed the face of hot rodding. What’s your favorite naturally aspirated GM motor and why?

These Livernois Motorsports Z06 Vettes make 600 WHP look like it’s easy. Even without a power-adder.

Because it’s Friday, here’s a couple videos of Livernois-built LS7s screaming on the dyno and eclipsing the 600 WHP mark (OK, one is at 595, but the others are 600 and 630) without the help of a blower, turbo or N20! Turn up your speakers and enjoy the sweet sounds.