Chevrolet set to show off new crate engines in delicious vintage Chevy builds at SEMA 2018

Photo: Chevrolet Pressroom.

If the term “crate engine” makes you think only of the “Put a 350 in it, man!” crowd, it might be time for you to take a fresh look.

While it may be true that, as Matt Farah observed during a chat with Jalopnik’s Kurt Bradley on The Smoking Tire podcast this week, a lot more people are talking on the Interwebs about doing crazy LS swaps these days than actually doing them, the Chevrolet crate engine lineup offers a considerable depth and breadth of swap-friendly options, with nearly 50 motors to choose from.

GM says optional extended ‘bumper-to-bumper’ warranty ‘breaks new ground’

Photo: GM Corporate Newsroom.

Coming off a rough third quarter that saw an 11 percent sales drop, GM now seems to be betting that an option announced today to purchase a “no questions asked” limited warranty offering an extended period of “bumper-to-bumper” coverage will be enough to entice more consumers to buy a new Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, or Cadillac vehicle.

I Just Figured Out Why I'm Not Crazy About the Last Two Camaro Generations

Sixth-generation Camaro. Photo: GM media website.

Don't get me wrong. The current generation Chevrolet Camaro is a nice car. It's a fast car and more than meets all of the requirements to carry the mantle of the grand tradition of pony cars that it comes from.

First-generation Camaro: Photo: GM media website.

If someone offered me a new Camaro for free, I would gleefully accept it. And I would keep it and drive it for many happy miles and years, rather than sell it.

 And yet, since the fifth-generation Camaro first came out for the 2010 model year, and continuing into the the current generation that launched in 2016, something has always just bothered me. And now, after taking a really good look at a fifth-generation Camaro yesterday, I think I more clearly understand why.

To frame up my explanation, allow me to indulge in a cliche and quote "Webster's," because there are two terms that explain my impression of the last two Camaro generations. Both of those terms have definitions in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary that vividly illustrate what I am talking about:

• Caricature—"exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics" [emphasis mine]
• Postmodern—"of, relating to, or being any of various movements in reaction to modernism that are typically characterized by... ironic self-reference and absurdity..." [emphasis mine]

Yes, as you might have guessed, my take is that the fifth and sixth-generation are postmodern caricatures of the classic first-generation that launched in 1967.

Want a New Camaro? Here's a Chance to Win One by Putting Your Wrenching Skills to the Test

Do you consider yourself an adept wrencher? Those very skills just might land you behind the wheel of a brand new customized 2018Chevrolet Camaro SS, if you're the winner in the GEARWRENCH® Win a Camaro Challenge.

The Win A Camaro Challenge is a traveling road show that will tour the country from April 3rd through August 31st, stopping at participating GEARWRENCH distributor and customer locations.

The GEARWRENCH Win A Camaro Challenge hauler will bring the Grand Prize customized 2018 Camaro SS to each event location, along with displays of GEARWRENCH products, giveaways, and the Win A Camaro Challenge, where contestants will strive to attain the fastest time to complete the four activities that make up the Challenge.