Autoblog

Monster motors were the order of the day in the late 1960s, and GM's 427 was a part of that class. The drawback to a big-block's burly output was, and still is, the increased weight of the engine. While big blocks are a hoot for straight line shenanigans, a small block car is often a better all-around performer. That goes out the window for most of us upon tapping that vast well of torque, and there was a solution direct from GM. The ZL1 was a 427 rendered in aluminum to save weight and carried a 430 horsepower rating. The ZL1 is the stuff of legend, commanding the sharp intake of breath when mentioned with the Corvette, and reverent silence should the COPO Camaro be cited.

GM Performance Parts is whipping up a limited run of all new ZL1s, built from the same tooling as the original. A total of 427 of the Anniversary 427 Big Block engines will be produced, creating a new piece of automotive unobtanium while leaving the ZL1 mystique intact. You might even argue that the new engine run will add to the lore. We'll get to see just how much of a clamor there might be for these new engines when the very first Anniversary 427 Big Block crate engine, serial number 001, goes up for bid at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson auction. The remaining 426 engines will be available soon from GM Performance Parts dealers, and will likely be snapped up like rabid moms going after Hannah Montana tickets.

[Source: GM via Winding Road]

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You know how when you were a kid, and you used to doodle wild wheeled creations in your notebooks instead of listening to your teachers? Remember how you thought about how great it would be if you had a "real" version of what you were drawing. If we had to guess, Jeremy Dixon, the owner of this awesome black machine, was one of those kids way back when, only he went ahead ahead and built the dream machine he onceup.

This open-wheel monster (we'll call it the Dixon Big Block for the sake of the post) seats two behind a windshield made from a Mazda RX-7's backlight, is powered by a mid-mounted big block Chevy, puts out close to 1000 horsepower, is apparently street legal (in Florida, at least), and reportedly attracts a wee bit of attention when it's out and about. And though it is listed on eBay, Jeremy is very upfront about this: he'll only sell to someone who will care for it as well as he has, can properly maintain it, and who'll treat it with the respect it commands.

Hell, Jeremy, maybe you should reconsider. Keep the car. Auction off rides in it instead.

Click here for the full listing, and make sure to read the "Questions from other members" section, too. Jeremy's web page can be found here.

[Sources: eBay, JD3.com]

Thanks to Jalopnik for sharing this clip. Because of it we were able to rekindle memories of our youths, when kustom kreations filled our matchbox collections and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth had Rat Finks driving around in massively overmotored rods with giant rodents behind the wheel. Not sure about the driver of this particular CRX, but this thing can probably steal the cheese in any compact tuner showdown. If anybody has any info about how fast this thing is, let us know.

As an automaker best known for its voluptuous, curvy coupes, the Aston Martin Lagonda is a knife-edged enigma. The origami aggression of its exterior, its tech-laden interior, along with the sheer scale of the thing (over 17' long) must've made it look like an aluminum-skinned spaceship when it hit the show scene in 1976. Launched with a 5.3-liter Weber-carb'd V8 (and clunky Chrysler three-speed automatic), the performance didn't completely deliver on the Lagonda's avant-garde visuals, though it was allegedly capable of 140 mph. Naturally, the Lagonda's habitually troublesome electronics and quality-control issues didn't stop at least one Autoblog staffer from falling in love with its impossibly futuristic shape collection of angles.

(click through to the jump for an interior shot, more details, and the link!)

Both General Motors and Ford are making big inroads into the aftermarket world for high-performance parts, and now GM Performance Parts is taking it to the streets-- literally. The company has put together a mobile exhibit of its offerings called the GM Performance Parts Power Shop, which is travelling the country this summer making appearances at various racing and car-oriented events.

One of the stars of the exhibit is a fully-operational display of the GMPP ZZ572 big-block crate engine - 720 hp of off-the-shelf motivation. The drag racing and hot rod-oriented display also features a brand-new drag racing simulator that promises the "full sensory experience of rocketing down the quarter-mile."

The Power Shop debuted this past weekend at "The Year One Experience" at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.

[Source: GM]