At this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, GM will show off a variety of new crate motor options. Some are affordable and practical, but we'd prefer to focus on the LT5 crate motor, the same engine that produces 755 horsepower in the Corvette ZR1. Given an unlimited budget, what amazing builds could we create?
When Dodge released its 707-hp Hellcrate engine and Honda decided to sell the Civic Type R's 306 hp engine as a crate motor, we came up with lists of our dream engine swaps with these powerplants. Now that Chevy will let you shove 755 hp into almost anything you want, we decided to choose seven GM cars that we'd love to see with the awesome LT5 engine.
Chevy SS
The Chevy SS was an extremely underrated car before it was killed off in 2017, having never lived up to its full potential. You see over in Australia, the SS's twin brother, the Holden Commodore, was sold with a 635-hp HSV version powered by the supercharged LS9 engine from the C6 Corvette ZR1. By comparison, the 415 hp LS3 in the SS seems a bit lacking.
If we had unlimited funds, we'd go buy a used Chevy SS and swap in the new LT5 crate motor to give it the power it always deserved.
Chevy Blazer
We were very excited when we first heard Chevy was bringing back the Blazer name. This boring crossover-filled world needed a new Wrangler rival with some serious off-road credibility. Unfortunately, the Blazer ended up looking like just another crossover powered by GM's corporate V6 pumping out 306 hp or a lackluster four-cylinder with just 193 hp. If we had our way, we'd shove in the LT5 engine (even though we doubt it would fit), creating a 755 hp off-roading beast to rival the rumored Ford Bronco Raptor.
Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade
Although they are seemingly pointless, people seem to love buying high-power, high-performance SUVs. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is among the most insane SUVs on the market with its 707 hp engine from a Hellcat. We propose a Chevy Tahoe or Cadillac Escalade with the 755 hp LT5 crate motor. The resulting creation would be one of the largest and most powerful SUVs on the road.
Chevrolet Camaro
The LT5 engine made its debut in the Corvette, but it only makes sense for Chevy to use the same engine in the Camaro. The Corvette Z06 and ZL1 share their LT4 engine, so we wouldn't be surprised if the LT5 makes an appearance in the Camaro prior to the next generation. Perhaps Chevy could make an even more track-focused version of the Zl1 1LE and revive the Z28 name once again.
Cadillac CTS-V
The Cadillac CTS-V is already the most powerful car in the luxury sports sedan segment with its LT4 V8 producing 640 hp. The German competition is down on power but makes up for it with AWD grip. We think Cadillac, as a final send-off for the CTS-V, should drop in the LT5 engine along with AWD. This would easily make the CTS-V the king of the luxury sports sedan segment and cement its position as one of the best sedans ever built.
Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra
The Ford F-150 Raptor has dominated the high-performance pickup truck segment and no other automaker seems to want to challenge that dominance. Dodge, GM, and Toyota have all dabbled with light off-road versions of their trucks, but none have really tried to directly compete with the Raptor. We'd love to see an LT5-powered Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra equipped with off-road tires and shocks. That would be some true competition for the F-150 Raptor.
Hummer H2
We wanted to include at least one wildcard on the list, which is why we have chosen the Hummer H2. The H2 was one of the most intimidating SUVs on the road, but even the most powerful 6.2-liter V8 version only produced 393 hp. With a curb weight of 6,614 pounds, the H2 barely had enough grunt to get out of its own way. With a 755-hp supercharged LT5 crate motor, the H2 would easily be one of the coolest (and most ridiculous) SUVs on the road.