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The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of automobile V8 engines built by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors using the same basic small (for a US V8 of the time) engine block. Retroactively referred to as the "Generation I" ''small-block'', it is distinct from subsequent "Generation II" LT and "Generation III/IV" LS, and "Generation V" (LT/EcoTec3) engines. Engineer Ed Cole, who would later become GM President, is credited with leading the design for this engine. Production of the original small-block began in the fall of 1954 for the 1955 model year with a displacement of , growing incrementally over time to in 1970. Several intermediate displacements appeared over the years, such as the that was available with mechanical fuel injection, the , as well as the numerous versions. Introduced as a performance engine in 1967, the 350 went on to be employed in both high- and low-output variants across the entire Chevrolet product line. Although all of Chevrolet's siblings of the period (Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Holden) designed their own V8s, it was the Chevrolet small-block that became the GM corporate standard. Over the years, every American General Motors division except Saturn used it and its descendants in their vehicles. Finally superseded by GM's Generation II LT and Generation III LS V8s in the 1990s and discontinued in 2003, the engine is still made by a GM subsidiary in Mexico as a crate engine for replacement and hot rodding purposes. In all, over 100,000,000 small-blocks (as of November 29, 2011) have been built in carbureted and fuel injected forms since 1955. In many respects, the later Generation II and Generation III engines still in production today for various vehicles still trace some of their design lineage to the "small block" design concept first laid down by Ed Cole and his team. The small-block family line was honored as one of the 10 Best Engines of the 20th Century by automotive magazine Ward's AutoWorld. ==Overview== The first generation of Chevrolet small-blocks began with the 1955 Chevrolet V8 offered in the Corvette and Bel Air. Soon after being introduced, it quickly gained popularity among stock car racers, becoming known as the "Mighty Mouse" motor, after the popular cartoon character of the time, with the simpler "Mouse" becoming much more common as time went on. By 1957 it had grown to . Fitted with the optional Rochester mechanical fuel injection, it was one of the first production engines to make one horsepower per cubic inch. The 283 would later be extended to other Chevrolet models, replacing the old style 265 V8s. A high-performance variant followed, turning out as much as 375 hp and increasing horsepower per cubic inch to 1.15. It was, however, the series that came to be the best known Chevrolet small block. Installed in everything from station wagons to sports cars, in commercial vehicles, and even in boats and (in highly modified form) airplanes, it is by far the most widely used small-block of all-time. Though not offered in GM vehicles since 2003, the 350 cu in (5.7 L) series is still in production today at General Motors' Toluca, Mexico plant under the company's "Mr Goodwrench" brand, and is also manufactured as an industrial and marine engine by GM Powertrain under the Vortec name. From 1955 to 1974, the small-block engine was known as the "Turbo-Fire V8". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chevrolet small-block engine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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