GM LS Engine

The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common in terms of shared parts with the classic Chevrolet small block V8, although its basic design layout owes a good deal to the essential concept of Ed Cole's original small-block design of 1954-55. Some LS engines are all-aluminum, especially the performance oriented engines, while others are cast iron, and all LS engines have six-bolt main bearing caps.

The LS engine has been the sole powerplant of the Chevrolet Corvette since 1997 and has seen use in a wide variety of other General Motors vehicles, ranging from sport coupes to full size trucks. Due to the engine's relatively compact external dimensions compared to its displacement and power output, the engine family is also a popular choice for kit cars, hot rods, buggies, and even light aircraft.