[Tripower455]

I am really dissapointed that Pontiac chose to put an SBC in the new GTO and recent 'birds. They really should have used "real" Pontiac power.........the Iron Duke!

The LS-1 shares bore spacing and rod journal size with the traditional SBC. Other than that, it was a clean sheet engine. Comparing it to a SBC is no different than comparing it to a RA-IV, which, BTW, is never coming back. They are completely different animals with similar displacement.

GM went to the SBC family in the late '70s for one reason. COST. They were much cheaper to manufacture than the better quality and more durable BOPC engines but gave adequate performance and longevity to the average end user.

The LS-1 is a very good engine. Better overall, imho, than anything GM has ever made for a performance car. It does it all well. Good performance, reliability, durability and fuel economy. There really are no compromises, other than brand recognition. The traditional SBC was, by any standards, a compromise. It was designed to be cheaply manufactured and put in GM's cheapest cars.

We are in a new millenium guys. The SD/tripower/RAIV etc. as we know them are never coming back. As long as the LS-1/2 is around, Pontiac doesn't need to waste resources re-engineering a performance engine.