Racer Brown, HOT ROD’s tech editor, understood the intrinsic value of the small-block Chevy to such a degree that it changed his life. The Chevrolet Motors Division of the General Motors Corporation ...

If you stop and think about it, one engine has made motorsports in the United States for nearly 50 years. The Offy was a great engine, as was the four-cam Ford. Who can forget the mighty Mopar hemis?

GM divisions Pontiac and Chevrolet each produced 400 cubic-inch small-block V8s with bore-to-stroke ratios. Ford made one as well, but its block was very different from Chevy's in nearly every way.