Its time for the push rod engine to disappear from this car IMO, its a 20th century primitive engine that has no place in a supercar.
I love turbocharged engines! However, we do need to give credit where it's due. Chevy and Caddy have been winning the most high profile of races with their detuned (downsized and de-rated) Chevy small blocks.
The pushrod V8 has fantastic power to weight, instant response, great BSFC numbers under load, is extremely reliable and, quite simply has a set of characteristics that make it a winning choice.
Heck, the 12 hour Sebring race was 1-2-3 Caddy. The 24 hour at Daytona was 1-2 Caddy. Both with 5.5L LT4 Chevy engines.
Originally Posted by 4WD
Not that long ago the competition complained Corvette Racing had an unfair CG advantage with pushrod mills … and internally the Caddy engineers waited for a Vette hand me down rocker.
They are still complaining, and requiring ever smaller displacement from pushrod V8's, so "they" can compete.... That says a lot.
For those who have never experienced owning a well tuned, really large displacement V8, it's a true pleasure. Smooth, reliable, and wonderful power, right now.
Just a fyi..Having to de-tune an engine for racing isn't necessarily that big of a deal. All the teams complain about each other having an unfair advantage (ex, too much downforce)