Long before there was Pro Touring, Pro Street, or Pro anything, the street was full of guys all trying to go fast. The game was to make more power than your buddy so you could dust him at the inevitable street joust that seemed to occur on almost any street corner.
Little has changed with hot rodding in the last 70 years or so. There’s just more people doing it now than there were when the first hot rodders squared off. The one overriding fact is that power is king. Big power will always win. To help you in your struggle for street supremacy, we’ve assembled seven engine combinations. Look closely—these combos are about more than just big horsepower numbers. If you pay more attention to the torque curves than the peak horsepower, you’ll be better off. These engines are intended as street-driven configurations and all power numbers are on 92-octane pump gas. The milder combinations can also deliver decent fuel mileage in addition to strong torque and great throttle response. As you can see, there’s more to a good street engine than big egos and peak horsepower.
Check out the combos in the sidebars below.