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10 Cylinders of Ambition

XR10 Motorsports introduces an all-aluminum LS-based V10 crate engine at SEMA with a goal of production in early 2026

Around the turn of the century, General Motors powertrain engineers toyed with the idea of stretching the LS engine out to 10 cylinders, and they even built a couple concept prototypes. The likely goal was a torque-laden powerplant for heavy-duty pickups.
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Show-floor Spotlight

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Here are five performance and racing products that caught our eye at SEMA

Cool Fact: SEMA has some 2,300 exhibitors with 150,000-plus from nearly 140 countries in attendance. One estimate says there is 4.6 million square feet of exhibitor space.

What You'll Learn: New performance products shown at this year's SEMA show were both aesthetically appealing and technically innovative

Best Quote: Or you can do a full dump: 400 on the top and 400 on the bottom.--Greg Burgess

SEMA, the annual November gearhead spectacle held in Las Vegas, is known mostly for hundreds of sensational custom-car builds that are on display; yet, the world’s largest trade gathering of aftermarket manufacturers, fabricators, OEMs, automotive retailers and more is also a showcase for new products that serve all segments of the industry.
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Charged-up Hemi to Defend Factory Stock Showdown Crown

Mopar shows off an improved power platform in a new Hustle Stuff edition of the Dodge Charger Drag Pak

Cool Fact: A new Mopar aluminum cylinder block also anchors the Hellephant revival crate engine

What You'll Learn: Details on the next-generation 354ci Hemi V8 that powers an all-new, lightweight 2-door Charger platform to sub-8-second ETs in the highly competitive NHRA FSS class

Best Quote: What we focus on is delivering a turnkey package that if the customer wants to go one step further with tuning or other kinds of things, they can do that. – Chad Seymour

With the release of its fifth-generation Drag Pak racecar and an updated Gen III Hemi engine, Dodge looks to claim a third straight crown in the NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class.
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10 Cylinders of Ambition

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XR10 Motorsports introduces an all-aluminum LS-based V10 crate engine at SEMA with a goal of production in early 2026

Cool Fact: The block was designed with a 9.72-inch deck height and features longer-than-normal sleeves to accommodate stroker crankshafts.

What You'll Learn: Basic details on a new V10 engine based on conventional LS architecture that is already making more than 1,000 horsepower naturally aspirated and will be suited for a variety of performance applications.

Best Quote: When we got it, nobody could make it run! – Darrin Gartrell

Around the turn of the century, General Motors powertrain engineers toyed with the idea of stretching the LS engine out to 10 cylinders, and they even built a couple concept prototypes. The likely goal was a torque-laden powerplant for heavy-duty pickups.
Read More

Forging Ahead

Inside the development of a game-changing Top Fuel crankshaft

Cool Fact: Conventional billet crankshafts in Top Fuel engines rarely survive more than four-to-six passes; the new Callies cranks have turned up to 18 runs

What You'll Learn: How Callies moved away from machining steel billet to developing a new forging that more than doubled the life cycle of nitro cranks

Best Quote: “When the engine had a happy run, the crankshaft was happy, too!”

Parts survival is a constant battle in the unforgiving world of 11,000-horsepower nitro engines that run in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. One of the more costly consumables has been the crankshaft.
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Heart of the Beast

Inside the game-changing 1,015-horsepower 632ci big-block crate motor from BluePrint Engines that runs on pump gas and comes with a warranty

Cool Fact: All BluePrint 632 engines are dyno tested before shipping to the customer.

What You'll Learn: How BluePrint Engines added 200 horsepower to its popular 632ci street-friendly big-block package

Best Quote: “We spent the better part of six to nine months working on camshaft and valvetrain dynamics to get that additional 30-40 horsepower that we needed to hit the advertised 1,015 mark.”

The concept of a 1,000-horsepower street engine has been around for more than a decade; yet, the definition is just now coming into a clearer focus for performance enthusiasts. Boost and E85 used to be the only pathways to such power numbers in a boulevard cruiser.
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Speed & Beauty From Granatelli Motor Sports

This twin-turbo, 421ci LS from JR Granatelli’s shop is not only machined for speed, it also looks damn good!

Cool Fact: Granatelli Motor Sports designed the headers, intake manifold, throttle bodies, ignition coils, spark plug wires, valves covers and more.

What You'll Learn: Details on a 2,700-horsepower LS engine.

Best Quote: “It’s a testament how much power these LS motors will make today.”

Aesthetically pleasing engines have become somewhat of a dying artistry in the hot rod and racing worlds. Most of the OEMS have certainly forgotten how to design an attractive engine under the hood.
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Kenny Duttweiler’s Most Frustrating Engine Build

There’s one record that keeps eluding the celebrated Speed Demon land-speed team, and that bothers engine builder Kenny Duttweiler

Cool Fact: With a 2.350-inch stroke and a 6.300-inch connecting rod, the ratio is a rule-bending 2.68:1.

What You'll Learn: What failures have kept the Speed Demon streamliner from breaking a 29-year record.

Best Quote: “By 9,000 rpm it’s up to 15 or 18 pounds, and by 9,500 it’s up to 50. The graph looks almost like a two-stroke engine.”

Using a diverse selection of twin-turbo big-block Chevy, LS and small-block Chevy engines—along with a Mopar four-banger—the celebrated Speed Demon 715 Bonneville streamliner holds six land-speed records, and over 12 years has won the Hot Rod trophy each event as the fastest car on the salt flats.
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Interview: David Freiburger Talks About Engine Masters

The co-host of Engine Masters and former editor of Hot Rod shares thoughts on his enthusiasm for fast cars and turning wrenches

Cool Fact: Freiburger has held 12 land-speed records at Bonneville, and all but one were achieved with an engine he built.

What You'll Learn: Freiburger’s favorite engine builder and favorite episode of Engine Masters

Best Quote: “I like engines more than the rest of the car.”

It’s unlikely that anyone is more recognized among performance automotive enthusiasts than David Freiburger. His media presence was first established as the editor of Car Craft, 4-Wheel & Off-Road and Hot Rod magazines.
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Team Picks

Show-floor Spotlight

SEMA, the annual November gearhead spectacle held in Las Vegas, is known mostly for hundreds of sensational custom-car builds that are on display; yet, the world’s largest trade gathering of aftermarket manufacturers, fabricators, OEMs, automotive retailers and more is also a showcase for new products that serve all segments of the industry.

Charged-up Hemi to Defend Factory Stock Showdown Crown

With the release of its fifth-generation Drag Pak racecar and an updated Gen III Hemi engine, Dodge looks to claim a third straight crown in the NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class.

10 Cylinders of Ambition

Around the turn of the century, General Motors powertrain engineers toyed with the idea of stretching the LS engine out to 10 cylinders, and they even built a couple concept prototypes. The likely goal was a torque-laden powerplant for heavy-duty pickups.

Forging Ahead

Parts survival is a constant battle in the unforgiving world of 11,000-horsepower nitro engines that run in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. One of the more costly consumables has been the crankshaft.