The basic platform that went on to power the above-listed Pontiac legends came to be in 1955 when the company developed its first overhead-valve V8 engine. With its initial displacement of 287 cubic inches, the V8 made 173 horsepower. From there, Pontiac continued to push the envelope with the platform, continuously boring and stroking to generate massive displacement and power.
One of the most notable events to come from the continuous development of this platform was in 1964. Despite Pontiac’s decision to ban corporate racing involvement and general disinterest in producing performance cars, John DeLorean chose to sneakily slam a 389 cubic-inch variant of the Pontiac V8 in the Tempest and offered it as an option that would go on to become one of the most iconic cars in American history: the GTO.
Pontiac engineers continued to bore and stroke this engine to their heart’s content, with displacement reaching as high as 455 cubic inches. Power output from the factory reached nearly 400 horsepower. However, across the board, all of the engines used the same basic engine block. There is no Pontiac big block because there is no small block, either. There is simply the Pontiac V8 engine block, which makes their interchangeability between models and chassis a hot rodder’s dream come true.
