'PROJECT X’ ’57 CHEVY IS REBORN WITH THE NEW GMPP ANNIVERSARY 427 ENGINE
It has been the subject of more enthusiast magazine build stories than any other car and has graced the cover of Popular Hot Rodding (PHR) countless times. It even played a supporting role in “Hollywood Knights,” serving as the supercharged transportation for Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer.
The car is Project X, the most famous 1957 Chevy ever built – and rebuilt. Since its debut in PHR more than 40 years ago, Project X has served as a rolling, evolving test bed of high-performance parts and a bell weather of automotive culture trends. But while this perpetual project car has never absolutely been finished, it has undergone several complete rebuilds – transformations that have contemporized its performance and styling.
General Motors and PHR collaborated during the past year to redesign, restore and re-power the iconic yellow shoebox, including the first of a limited number of Anniversary 427 crate engines.
“General Motors is proud to have participated in its latest and most extensive restoration ever,” said Al Oppenheiser, GM Performance Division director for concept and vehicle integration. “This completely ‘restified’ Chevy represents the ultimate form of Project X.”
PHR entrusted Project X with GM Performance Division, which took the car to its Warren, Mich., home for a frame-off revitalization. The car was updated with a contemporary spin on the Pro Street theme, with a modified Corvette front suspension, four-link and mini-tubbed rear suspension and more.
“Working on Project X was like working on a time machine,” said Mike Copeland, GM Performance Division project manager. “The history was clear when we took it apart – there were remnants of past modifications everywhere and the team members truly understood the historical significance of the car.”
But while Project X has traditionally been a platform for aftermarket performance, GM Performance Division restored it with a great balance of O.E.M. parts and craftsmanship, complementing a roster of components supplied by the performance industry’s top manufacturers.
Anniversary 427
Nestled in at the front of the frame rails is the all-new Anniversary 427 big-block crate engine from GM Performance Parts. It is a modern re-creation of the mythical, all-aluminum ZL-1 427 engine. It is underrated at 430 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft. of torque – like the production engine was in 1969. Only 427 of the special engines will be built.
Production of the Anniversary 427 is based on the aluminum block’s original tooling, which was thought to be lost after production of the original ZL-1 engine halted in the early 1970s. GM Performance Parts oversaw the refurbishment of the tooling and updated some design features of the cylinder block, such as the addition of screw-in galley plugs. The block casting also was strengthened in key areas.
The Anniversary 427 has a 10:1 compression ratio, all-forged reciprocating parts, a roller camshaft, aluminum oval-port heads with 2.19/1.88-inch valves, HEI ignition and an 850-cfm four-barrel carburetor mounted atop an aluminum dual-plane intake manifold. All of the limited-edition engines come with natural-finish, “427 CHEVROLET”-script valve covers that are serialized, per their build in the 427-unit run. Also, every engine comes with a matching-number owner’s kit, adding to its exclusivity.
Exhaust exits the Anniversary 427 through custom headers that are routed through the front fenders. They are connected to a remote-activated cut-out switch that allows the gases to pass through a conventional exhaust system to the rear of the car during street driving, or through more direct, unrestricted openings behind the front wheels.
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