LS V12 ENGINE: It spins over 7,000 rpm and yes, you can buy one.
The LS V12 engine swap. In the world of customized automobile builds, few phrases evoke such levels of pleasure or contempt.
The GM-built V8 engine is quite popular thanks to its compact design, reliability, affordability, and potential to produce huge horsepower.
That’s why you see it in every car from Chevy Camaro restomods to street rods, and yes, it even crosses the forbidden line to power Ford Mustang builds and all sorts of import projects.
If you actually want to see LS contempt, show up to a Mazda rotary meet with an LS-swapped RX7.
What if you desire an LS experience without the V8 rumble? Is it possible?
Enter Race Cast Engineering, an Australian-based enterprise that loves the LS engine but also has a serious mad-scientist vibe going.
The crew has tinkered with a V12 (9.5-Liter LS V12 Engine) model of the big-block LSX mill for a few years now, and it’s geared up to go pro as a 750-horsepower (559-kilowatt) naturally aspired crate engine.
If you haven’t already done so, hit the video above to hear the sheer lunacy of this big 9.5-liter (yes, 9.5-liter) monster in action, both on a dyno and stuffed into a Kia van.
Seriously, we weren’t kidding about the entire mad scientist thing.
Allow us a few moments to get technical, because the important points of this mill are interesting even for those who don’t speak the LS language.
This is of course a customized single-piece construct as opposed to a V8 with 4 more cylinders welded into place.
That said, the iron block is very authentic to the 7.0-liter LSX engine with the same 4.125-inch cylinder bore.
However, to make it a bit extra rev-happy, Race Cast makes use of the shorter 3.62-inch stroke located on smaller-displacement LS engines. It runs an incredibly mild camshaft (single cam in the block), and at full throttle, this big mill still spins to 7,100 RPM. It additionally idles quite smoothly below 900 RPM, making it shockingly streetable.
The dyno suggests a maximum of 755 horsepower hitting at 6,500 rpm, but possibly more surprising is the torque curve.
Actually, it’s not really a curve – over 600 pound-feet (814 Newton-meters) is accessible at just about any rpm, leading to tire-shredding thrust at the mere thought of touching the throttle.
And according to the video, this is often the bottom engine with a secure tune. Going with a warmer cam and more aggressive tuning can yield over 1,000 hp.
The big V12 LS engine hails from Australia, but it’ll make its North American debut at the 2020 SEMA show during a new Factory Five Racing project.
According to the company’s website, it’s available to order without now, but as you’d expect, it’s not cheap.
A turn-key engine lists for $55,200, except for builders seeking something truly unique with capability for giant power, this might be the ultimate LS swap.
Source: Race Cast Engineering, Fullboost
