A Sad Passing: Chevrolet Discontinues The 7.0-Liter LS7 V-8 Engine

Chevrolet Performance will sell what they have left, but that's it

(2015 Chevy Camaro Z/28) Chevrolet LS7 V8 discontinued — news
(Images: Chevrolet)

Okay, this is a “pour one out” moment.

A couple days ago, I covered the passing of the Chevrolet Spark. It’s the departure of an affordable little runabout, but at the end of the day…Eh, are most people really going to miss it? This, though — arguably one of the most iconic of Chevrolet’s small-block V-8 engines — is something to sit up and take notice about. The LS7 saw production use in the C6 Corvette Z06, displacing a gargantuan 7.0 liters, and the 427-cubic-inch motor found its way into the mid-2010s, fifth-gen Camaro Z/28 as well. You could even buy it as a crate motor from Chevrolet Performance…but not anymore, per a recent Road & Track report.

The fifth-generation Camaro landed a 7.0L LS7 V-8 under its hood for the 2014 and 2015 model years.

Pop on over to the official website, and lo and behold — it’s listed as a ‘discontinued product’. And before you think that you’ll just shoot for the LS427/570 variant instead, you’re in for some more disappointment. GM marked that one as discontinued too. If you already have an order in for one of these engines out of Chevrolet Performance’s inventory, the automaker will still fulfill those orders. After that, though, the good-old LS7 is dead and gone.

Now, it’s not a terribly surprising revelation, sad though it may be (especially for LS enthusiasts). There are many, many other crate engines you can choose from, with some being more powerful and less expensive that what you get here. The ubiquitous LS swap scene will still live on for some time to come, but even still, it’s a sad moment as another V-8 rumbles into the history books. At the moment, it’s not clear whether Chevrolet will announce plans for a direct replacement — and I wouldn’t hold my breath to see one.

Hey, at least GM’s still cranking out some other powerhouse V-8s, right?