Chevrolet has been relying on their patented, highly guarded LT1 engine to power Corvettes for decades now. It’s just like a favorite old dog, horse or other beast of burden that does what it’s told to do, when it’s told to do it; in one word, reliable. That’s why the engine is still so popular, and instead of being altogether replaced, is instead only slightly modified year in and year out as new technologies make the old ways just a little bit better. It might not warrant buying a new model every year, but the cars of today are definitely not the cars of the 1990s.
Here is a picture of the LT1 engine as it originally appeared in the 1992 Chevrolet Corvette. Without the right experience and knowledge, it looks like just another engine block, and essentially it is. It has pistons which pump, powered by explosions in a chamber which combusts the gasoline and builds up pressure. It’s like other engines in the sense that they all share the same basic design, but Chevrolet does something with the LT1 that other companies just don’t. Maybe that’s why Corvettes are such popular cars; they’re powerful automobiles, capable of incredible speeds right off the lot.
Here’s a covered view of a relatively new (2010) LT1 Corvette engine. Because everything is sealed up and this car is ready to drive, it’s kind of tough to see much of anything good. Those with sharp eyes will notice the similarities in shape and proportion of this engine compared to earlier LT1 models and the newer ones coming up as well.
Really, the current LT1 engine model is the epitome of Chevrolet engineering; the very best the company has to offer put into the very best cars the company has to sell. Nothing is perfect, though, and technicians are working on ways to improve this engine even now – right after they’ve released their best effort to date. There are millions of dollars which go into making Corvettes better and better every year, whatever it costs to get an edge on the competition and sell more cars.
The LT1 engine block is even the right size to fit into many another chassis. This is actually an ancient Ford from around 1945 which has been refitted with an up to date, powerful and new(ish) LT1 engine.
Perhaps the most interesting bits about the LT1 engine are the newest bits, the parts which the public hasn’t had a shot at yet and which are still in production. Here is a disassembled (maybe) 2014 model for the LT1 engine. It’s always interesting to see all the working parts in a machine set aside like this so you can really get a feel for how the system works.
Image Sources:
- http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/2012/102412_1b.jpg
- http://image.customclassictrucks.com/f/18399642+w750+st0/0805cct_06_z+1948_ford_f1+lt1_corvette_engine.jpg
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