Ever fancied building a full-blooded, V8-engined race car? Well, Chevrolet has your back with its new LS427/570 crate engine – the most powerful naturally aspirated LS it has ever offered…

Essentially, the LS427/570 (catchy name) is an enhanced version of the production-based LS7 small-block V8. The 7.0-litre LS7 was first used in the C6 Corvette Z06 before going on to feature in the fifth-gen Camaro Z/28 – so it’s a well-known and well-used engine.

‘Enhanced’ in this context means more power, more torque and easier installation – all good things. The displacement remains the same, so it’s still a 7.0-litre (427-cubic-inch) V8, although thanks to a new high-lift camshaft and a wet-sump oiling system it now produces 570hp and 730Nm of torque – 65hp and 95Nm more than standard. Nice.

We say race car, though, because Chevrolet ‘strongly advises’ that the LS427/570 is for competition use only, and that it isn’t designed to be used on public roads.

Still, you could make a pretty special naturally aspirated racer with this thing. What chassis would you slot it into?

STORY Greg Potts