This is a set of three, unused LS3 V8 crate engines that remain in their factory packaging awaiting a new owner. They’re now being offered as a package deal out of Campbell, California on eBay.
The LS3 is a lightweight V8 largely intended for use in performance cars, it debuted in the C6 Corvette. It has a displacement of 6.2 liters and it’s relatively lightweight thanks to its aluminum block and heads.
These engines were bought new by a GM dealer and they’re now surplus to requirements, hence why they’re being sold.
History Speedrun: The Chevrolet LS3 V8
The Chevrolet LS3 was developed to carry on the old school pushrod V8 philosophy of Chevrolet (and General Motors) but it had a hefty dose of modern engineering thrown in to ensure modern emissions compliance and improved fuel efficiency,
The engine was developed during a period when General Motors was refining the fourth generation of its LS architecture for both performance reasons and for compliance with increasingly strict tailpipe emissions legislation in the United States and further afield.
The LS3’s origins can be traced back to the mid-2000s, when GM Performance Division was tasked with creating a naturally aspirated V8 that could outperform the outgoing LS2 while remaining reliable, being manufacturable at scale, and being suitable for both sports cars (primarily the Corvette) and other specialty applications.
Introduced for the 2008 model year, the LS3 had a displacement of 6.2 liters (376 cubic inches) using a 103.25 mm bore and 92.0 mm stroke. The large bore was deliberate, allowing room for oversized valves and thus improved airflow. Aluminum construction was used for both the block and heads, with six-bolt main caps, a nodular iron crankshaft, powdered metal connecting rods, and hypereutectic pistons.
Compression was set at 10.7:1, high enough to maximize power output while remaining low enough to still be compatible with premium pump fuel in the United States.
The LS3 debuted in the C6 Corvette from 2008 onwards, where it replaced the LS2 as the standard engine and quickly gained a reputation for linear power delivery and excellent reliability. Image provided by General Motors.
One of the LS3’s defining features was its rectangular-port aluminum cylinder heads, which flowed significantly more air than earlier cathedral-port designs. This was combined with a high-lift hydraulic roller camshaft and a refined intake manifold, the result was a factory rating of 430 bhp and 424 lb ft of torque in standard Corvette trim, increasing to 436 bhp when equipped with the optional “dual-mode” performance exhaust.
The LS3 debuted in the C6 Corvette from 2008 onwards, where it replaced the LS2 as the standard engine and quickly gained a reputation for linear power delivery and excellent reliability. It later appeared in the Corvette Grand Sport, as well as the fifth-generation Camaro SS (when the SS was equipped with a manual transmission) from 2010.
Beyond production vehicles, the LS3 became a cornerstone of Chevrolet Performance’s crate engine program, finding its way into restomods, kit cars, and race builds worldwide. Within the LS family, the LS3 is closely related to several engines. It shares its bore spacing and core architecture with the LS7, though the latter uses a larger displacement, dry sump lubrication, and extensive forged and titanium internal parts.
The LS3 also forms the basis for the L99, a detuned and AFM-equipped variant used in automatic Camaros. Earlier siblings include the LS2, from which the LS3 evolved, and later Gen V LT engines that kept the core small block architecture while introducing direct injection and other significant design changes.
The LS3 is now widely regarded as one of the most balanced and versatile naturally-aspirated V8s GM ever produced, it’s simple, powerful, and adaptable, and thanks to the crate engine program it has a legacy that extends well beyond the factory vehicles it originally powered.
The Three Chevrolet LS3 V8 Crate Engines Shown Here
This is a collection of three Chevrolet LS3 V8 crate engines that are now being sold as a single lot on eBay. These engines were bought new by a GM dealer and they’re now surplus to requirements, hence why they’re being sold.
Each engine is still in its protective plastic (which was pulled down for some of the images before being returned). The sellers reports that none of the engines have ever been run or installed into a vehicle – meaning they’re all essentially brand new.
Each engine is still in its protective plastic (which was pulled down for some of the images before being returned). The sellers reports that none of the engines have ever been run or installed into a vehicle – meaning they’re all essentially brand new.
If you’d like to read more or enquire about buying them you can visit the listing on eBay here. They’re being sold out of Campbell, California with an asking price of $35,000 USD (or best offer).
Images courtesy of Jaguar Place
Articles that Ben Branch 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.
