This is an unused Chevrolet ZZ632/1000 crate engine, as the model name implies it has a displacement of 632 cubic inches (10.35 liters) and it produces 1,000 bhp, actually it’s 1,004 bhp with 876 lb ft of torque.
This is the largest big block production engine ever produced by Chevrolet, and it seems unlikely that it’ll ever be usurped in the future given the fact that so much attention is now focussed on smaller, more efficient engines, and electric powertrains.
Above Video: This is the official Chevrolet Performance introduction to the ZZ632/1000 V8, including a detailed description of the engine’s internals.
The first Chevrolet big block V8 engine debuted in 1958, three years after the 1955 arrival of the legendary Chevrolet small block V8. Though the small block was versatile, it was clear that Chevrolet, and General Motors as a whole, needed a larger engine for truck applications.
The first big block had a displacement of just 348 cubic inches (5.7 liters), two cubic inches smaller than the later 350 cubic inch small block, but still significantly larger than the 265 cubic inches (4.3 liters) that the small block had started out with in ’55.
Though originally intended for commercial truck and bus applications, the Chevrolet big block V8 would soon find favor with many in the world of motorsport, particularly in drag racing where cubic inches are king.
The 427 cubic inch (7.0 liter) big block V8 would be used extensively in different forms in both NASCAR and drag racing. The all-aluminum 1969 ZL1 version of the 427 engine would be used with much success by the McLaren team in the hotly contested world of Can-Am racing.
The Chevrolet ZZ632/1000 V8 Crate Engine
On October the 20th, 2021, General Motors announced what would be the largest production version of the big block ever produced – the Chevrolet ZZ632/1000. With a displacement of 632 cubic inches (10.35 liters), this engine can produce 1,004 bhp at 6,600 rpm with 876 lb ft of torque at 5,600 rpm.
Above Video: This is an example of the Chevrolet ZZ632/1000 V8 being unboxed and run on a dyno, it’s worth watching to hear the engine running up through its rev-range.
To help put that into context, it’s close to three times as much power as the 4.9 liter Ferrari Testarossa Flat-12. And this engine does it with pushrods and two valves per cylinder. Albeit with over double the displacement – though it’s worth noting that the Ferrari has 76.5 bhp per liter whereas the Chevy has 97.4 bhp per liter.
The Chevrolet ZZ632/1000 V8 is built around a Tall-Deck Sportsman Bowtie block, offering enough strength to handle the power output reliably over long periods of time.
Inside you’ll find an all-forged roller assembly, a hydraulic roller camshaft, high-flow spread-port cylinder heads, a crank-trigger ignition system, coil-near-plug ignition coils, a modern electronic fuel injection system, and a pre-programmed, self-learning control system.
General Motors is keen to remind people to always measure the engine bay before ordering one of these engines, even if the engine bay can accommodate a normal big block V8 with ease, as the ZZ632/1000 is externally larger than all the big blocks that have come before.
This is the official specification sheet that ships out with the engine, amazingly it still runs on 93 octane pump gas, not a high-octane racing fuel.The example of the engine you see here is currently being offered for sale out of Bolton Landing, New York. It’s in unused condition as the buyer (and now seller) bought it for a project that was later abandoned.
It’s being sold with its shipping pallet and a Holley Terminator X EFI system, and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
