Chevy’s New Crate Engine Makes 1,000 Horsepower Naturally-Aspirated
Big Block Chevy Crate Engine features a fully-forged rotating assembly and 632 cubic inches to make over 1,000 horsepower on pump gas.
As weird as it is to say, 1,000 horsepower cars are relatively commonplace now. With technology in tuning and high-performance fuels having come so far, a relatively simple turbocharged LS engine on E85 is 1,000 horsepower in the making. That’s all well and good, but we never thought we’d see the day where something crazy has to accommodate a 1,000 horsepower output to blow us away. However, you don’t see a lot of four-digit naturally aspirated engine builds. This is especially true if you add pump gas to the equation.
That being said, there is now a place to get exactly that all packaged and ready to rock and roll. The all-new Chevrolet Performance ZZ632/1000 crate engine is the newest addition to the big block engine family. But, boy, is it rowdy. This monstrous engine makes 1,004 horsepower and 876 pound-feet of torque with no turbocharger, no supercharger, and no nitrous. In fact, it makes these absurd numbers with 93 octane standard-issue fuel. It does, however, use multi-port standard electronic fuel injection.
This crate engine is going to be a monster at the drag strip. Furthermore, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see some people start feeding it C16 racing fuel and nitrous to make those performance figures even more absurd. So let’s take a look at what makes all this power possible!
What’s the Secret to Bodacious Big Block Power?
This new 632 cubic inch monster shares the platform with the already iconic Chevrolet Performance 572 crate engine. However, it has a few key differences that make its extreme power possible.
First, the ZZ632 kicks the bore up 40-thousandths of an inch compared to the 572. Additionally, it adds an extra 0.375 inches to the stroke. As a result, Chevrolet engineers had to modify both the block and connecting rods to accommodate for the massive stroke increase. Furthermore, the rotating assembly is fully forged. The rods and crankshaft are forged steel, while the pistons are forged aluminum.
Another key ingredient to the massive power output is the integration of symmetrical-port high flow aluminum cylinder heads. Symmetrical ports ensure that all eight intake ports and all eight exhaust ports are identical, ensuring each cylinder is creating the same amount of power. While this technology has been around on Chevrolet V8 engines since the debut of the LS1 in the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette, this is the first time the technology appears on a big block.
Though we don’t have a price as of yet, it’s safe to assume it will not be cheap. Currently, the GM performance website says that pricing will be available soon. Comparatively, the 572 crate engine dressed with manifolds and all is a whopping $16,340.82. So we wouldn’t be too surprised to see the ZZ632 approach the $20,000 mark. One thing we are sure of, though, is that we really want to see one of these in action.
Photos: Chevrolet
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