The Chevrolet small-block V8 engine, perhaps the ultimate baby boomer, turns 50 this year. Ask any muscle-car gearhead and he'll probably have a story that involves a car powered by the small-block mouse: A 1960 Corvette with a 230hp, 283ci; '65 Chevelle L79 350-hp 327; Z-28 Camaro 302; or, of course, the ubiquitous 350ci, dropped into everything from station wagons to painters' vans. It's one of the key players in the muscle car era, and still exists today — part number 24502609.
90 Million Strong: GM's Small-Block V8 Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary [Auto Week]