t seems that the American V-8 is under attack from all sorts of directions, most notably the government. If you read this magazine, there is a good chance you grew up with more than one V-8 that fascinated you. It might have been its appearance or sound but it always comes down to performance.

For me, the open hood of a ’55 Chevy in my high school parking lot was enough to bring the world to a standstill. Seeing a new fuelie Corvette with the hood popped would flat make me loosey-goosey. It didn’t matter how short that mini skirt was nearby; nothing could replace a small-block with Rochester mechanical fuel injection for my undivided attention. My gosh, that just caused my heart to flutter. Well, I did grow up (at least physically), and it wasn’t long before the 396/375 in a ’65 Corvette or a ’65 Malibu was the cat’s meow. Now, I do realize that the L88 or possibly the ZL1 were truly where the world came to an abrupt stop, but each had their fascination for me.

As you can see, I am a bit Chevy-centric. I realize plenty of you out there are true Ford or Chrysler fans, and then there are those of you who can get all giggly over the Pontiac, Olds, Caddy, or Buick offerings. There were plenty of V-8s for all of us to pine over.

There were two Chevy small-blocks that “rang my bell.” The ’65 small-block Chevy with the 327 “big-box” Rochester mechanical fuel injection (only 771 Corvettes were produced that year with the Ram Jet) will forever mesmerize me. These Corvettes could be made to run with the first big-blocks of 1965; look at what Mickey Thompson accomplished with the fuelie cars.

Close behind would be the original Z/28 (only 602 ’67 Z/28 Camaros were produced). It wasn’t the factory-installed single Holley four-barrel but the dealer-installed dual-carb cross-ram that captivated me. The story goes that the cross-ram intake with its dual fours was a dealer-installed option as it came packaged in the trunk. It’s been documented that none of the Z/28s left the factory with the cross-ram installed. There are reports that the cross-ram didn’t come packaged in the trunk but shipped to the dealership, and there are stories of both methods. I’m guessing both are true, as there are several reasons why this could have happened. There was just something about that staggered cross-ram intake that captured my undying attention and devotion. While rated at 290 hp, the fact is one of the cross-ram Camaros was probably an honest 400hp tickling number. Back in the day, that was something.

As I prepared to leave high school, the big-block was poking its considerable valve covers and cylinder heads into the performance world, and it awestruck everyone—me included.

The L88 was closely followed by the lighter-weight ZL1. Both were intended to be race engines, but a few made their way into street cars. The L88 came onto the scene in 1967 under the hood of the Corvette and stayed around until 1969. Only 216 of these race-inspired Sting Rays left the dealer’s showroom and went into someone’s garage. (Clearly not mine.) One such rare Sting Ray has brought $3.5 million. The original purchase price of nearly $7,000 doesn’t look so bad. While rated at a modest 430 hp, many sources say this V-8 packed a whopping 550-570 hp. I even have a big-block in my garage that someday I would like to make look like an L88 and have it sit there on a stand so I can admire it.

The other big-block is the ZL1. Today, we think nothing of an aluminum V-8 under the hood of any hot rod. Aluminum blocks and cylinder heads are “run of course” today. Back in the day, an all-aluminum ZL1 was rated at 430 hp, but once again, it was extremely undervalued, with real numbers close to 600. But then again, with only two of these Corvettes ever built, I doubt I will ever park one next to my roadster!

Well, there you have it. My favorite small- and big-block Chevy V-8s. I would be a happy camper if I had a hot rod with one of each underhood. I might be even happier (if possible) to have one of each on an engine stand so that I could go out in the garage and sit and look and dream. Dreaming makes hot rodding so much fun. What is and what can be makes for a good life.