The 8.1-liter V8 was the very last big block to be produced by General Motors. Building on the same basic architecture as the 454 cubic inch motor it would eventually out-live, the Vortec 8.1 (also known as the 8100) represented the final link to Chevrolet’s roaring ’60s muscle car motors, and claimed the title of the largest passenger vehicle engine to ever wear the Bowtie badge.
Old School Heritage, New School Tech
By the time the 2000s had rolled around, big block V8 engines existed exclusively to offer pickup and SUV owners a high torque alternative to ordering a diesel. With a small, but significant slice of the market interested exclusively in gas motors, and that same crowed typically using their trucks either for towing or in the line of duty at a job site, General Motors needed an engine to push back against the V10 options being offered by Dodge and Ford.
Related products
