The LS1 is an all-aluminum small block V8 engine first produced in the 1997 Corvette. This compact, but powerful, engine was the third generation of GM's small block engine that had been a lasting feature of the Corvette since the 1950s.
The LS1 brought the Corvette to a new level of performance. Besides being the lightest and cleanest running engine ever to be put into a Corvette, this newly-designed small block was capable of generating an output of 345 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque--the highest output ever achieved in a production car at the time. Tweaks and minor improvements in 2001 bumped the LS1 output to 350 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque giving the C5 Corvette a maximum speed of 175 mph and a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds.
