| LS1, LT1, LS3 | | | | intake manifold. A highlight of LT1 engine is |
| | | | that it employs reverse flow cooling, sending |
| Title: General Motors' 15-Year Legacy of | | | | coolant to the cylinder heads first, which |
| Performance Dominance Continues | | | | enables the LT1 to run more ignition advance |
| | | | and a high-for-its-time 10.4:1 compression |
| While the driver provides the soul of a car, | | | | ratio for greater horsepower. However, LT1 |
| the engine is its heart. The performance car | | | | engines did not remain in service for long. |
| market has been dominated the last 15 years | | | | The entire LT family of engines (LT1, the |
| by a series of V8 engines made by General | | | | High-Output LT4 and the L99 "baby LT1") had |
| Motors. Beginning with the LT1, which debuted | | | | to make way for the next generation LS1. |
| in the 1992 Chevrolet Corvette, followed by | | | | |
| the LS1 in 1997 and now the LS3, GM has been | | | | The 5.7 liter LS1 engine debuted in the 1997 |
| on a streak of successful performance V8 | | | | Corvette and went on to be listed on Ward's |
| engines that is unmatched. The 5.7 liter LT1 | | | | 10 Best Engines the same year. The LS1 |
| engine is closely related to the original | | | | represents a clean-sheet approach-it shares |
| Small Block Chevy V8 (dating back to 1955), | | | | nothing in common with the original Small |
| but with several key improvements. It is best | | | | Block V8 or LT1. Over the LS1's lifespan, it |
| known as the powerplant for the 1992-1996 | | | | made its way into thousands of Corvettes, |
| Corvette and the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac | | | | Camaros, Trans Ams, and the 2004 Pontiac GTO. |
| Firebird from 1993-1997, but also made its | | | | It also formed the basis for the Vortec line |
| way into the Impala SS and even Caprice | | | | of GM truck engines. The 350 horsepower LS1 |
| police package cars. The LT1 in Corvette form | | | | featured all-aluminum construction, with a |
| made 300 horsepower, which was an amazing | | | | composite plastic intake manifold, single |
| number in the early 90s. Several | | | | bore throttle body, and high-flow cylinder |
| technological improvements made this | | | | heads that re-wrote the book on aftermarket |
| possible, such as a new set of high-flow | | | | performance in the late 1990s. |
| alimunum cylincer heads and a short runner | | | | |