Discover the origins and impact of Chevrolet's small-block V8, the engine that changed American car culture forever.

Most engine builders agree that a small-block is less expensive to build than a big-block. Therefore, we decided to give the rat a cost handicap right out of the gate. We estimated that the big-block ...

Brian is a published author who has been writing professionally for a decade in politics and entertainment, but found his calling covering the automotive industry. His love of cars started at an early ...

While there have been some iconic big-block engines over the last few decades, it's difficult to argue with the success of the small-block engine. Small-block engines not only weigh less — allowing ...

However, Ford was thinking in another direction, deciding to focus on efficiency and balance. The result was the small-block V8, a compact, lightweight engine that proved you didn't need massive ...

Hot rod builds a mouse trap and tries to catch a rat. Originally published in the August 1998 issue of Hot Rod magazine. To celebrate HOT ROD's 75th anniversary, we teamed up with CASTROL GTX to bring ...