This is a Chevrolet small block V8 coffee table, we’ve seen the wildly popular small block fitted to a wide array of vehicles over the including motorcycles and bar stools, but this is the first time we’ve seen one in a piece of furniture.
Unusually for an engine-based coffee table, this V8 creation has a transmission case, shifter, and carburetors all in place – making it look like an engine that could be dropped into a car with minimal work.
The tempered glass tabletop has a cutout to allow the triple carburetors to rise through the middle.
The Incredible Chevrolet Small Block V8
The Chevrolet small block V8 has become a cornerstone of American V8 engine history, it debuted in 1955 and quickly became one of the most popular and widely used V8 in the nation. The small block is known for its compact, lightweight design, reliability, and remarkable versatility – it’s powered an extensive range of vehicles, from sedans and trucks to sports cars, motorcycles, planes, helicopters, and even motorized barstools.
Designed by a team led by engineer Ed Cole, the small block V8 was initially introduced as the “Turbo-Fire V8” in the 1955 Chevrolet lineup. The first version displaced 265 cubic inches (4.3 liters) and featured overhead valves, a high power-to-weight ratio, and a relatively low cost.
Its debut marked the beginning of a significant shift in American engine design, moving away from the larger, heavier engines of the era towards more efficient, powerful, and compact units. That said, the deep American love of cubic inches has never really waned.
One of the key features of the Chevrolet small block V8 was its simplicity and ease of modification, this made it extremely popular among racers, hot-rodders, and performance oriented car enthusiasts. Its modular architecture allowed for significant increases in displacement and power output over the years, with versions expanding to as much as 400 cubic inches (6.6 liters) in factory offerings.
The small block V8 engine has been produced in multiple generations, including the original series (1955-2003), the LT series (1992-1997), and the LS series (1997-present), each bringing their own advancements in technology, power output, and efficiency.
Despite the technological leaps, the basic design principles of the small block V8 have remained consistent over the years, emphasizing reliability, affordability, and upgradability.
The Chevrolet Small Block V8 Coffee Table Shown Here
The coffee table you see here was built using a classic small block V8 finished in orange with a matching orange transmission case attached. It’s fitted with a polished chrome oil pan and Edelbrock valve covers, as well as tubular exhaust headers.
The engine and transmission both lack internal parts, this is due to the fact that the internal parts aren’t needed in its current configuration and could only add weight to an already hefty coffee table. The engine is topped with an orange intake manifold and triple carburetors fitted with individual air cleaners, as well as a distributor and spark plug leads.
The transmission casing has an authentic Hurst shifter, adding a unique element we don’t often see on engine based coffee tables.
The transmission casing has a Hurst shifter, and the engine rides on caster wheels attached to a simple steel subframe front and back. The tempered glass tabletop has a cutout to allow the carburetors to rise through the middle, and it measures in at approximately 50″ long by 31″ wide.
This small block coffee table is currently being sold on Bring a Trailer out of Buckeye, Arizona. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
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.
