Chevrolet 427 V8 Engine

The Chevy 427 V8 was produced officially for the masses beginning in 1966. However three years before in 1963, the 427 was offered to a lucky few as a RPO (regular production option) for the Chevy Impala and was known as the Z11. The 427 became extremely popular due to its versatility and of course massive amounts of horsepower. This engine could be found in anything from your grandmother’s station wagon up to your neighbor’s brand new Corvette that you drooled over every day when you walked out the door. You could not however get the same options for the 427 engine for every model of car. For the most part, the lower rated horsepower 427s engines that were produced for family oriented Chevys had more options available such as power steering.The 427 motor seemed big enough for anyone’s needs but GM didn’t want to stop there. They proved that in 1970 when they released the mighty Chevy 454.

Chevrolet produced several different series of 427s that would go down in history as some of the most powerful engines of the time. For street use, the Corvette 427 L71 turned heads with its 435 horsepower that was pushing the limits of street performance in the late 60s. For non street use, the 427 ZL1 was produced with an aluminum blocks and heads and was often used in Can Am racing. Once tuned right, the 427 ZL1 was good for over 500 horsepower and was used in many famous race cars such as the McLaren and Chaparral.

Today you can still find a lot of performance engine parts for the Chevy 427 that can easily push the engine over 500 horsepower for a relatively low price.

Engine Specifications