If you stop and think about it, one engine has made motorsports in the United States for nearly 50 years. The Offy was a great engine, as was the four-cam Ford. Who can forget the mighty Mopar hemis?

For those who need a reminder, the ZL-1 was an aluminum version (heads and block) of the Chevy Mark IV big-block. Designed for racing, it appeared on the scene in 1969, displacing 427 ci and making ...