How a Truck Engine Helped End a 33-Year American Torque Record

For 33 years, no American automaker could match the 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1's 510 lb-ft of torque, a figure that outdid every big block from Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile that year. The Buick's modest 360-horsepower rating hid its real strength, and its unassuming looks only added to its legend.

Emissions rules cut big-block output through the 1970s and 1980s, leaving the Buick's number as a quiet benchmark.

The record finally fell to the Dodge Viper, but not the version most people remember. 0-liter unit making 400 hp and 465 lb-ft, impressive, but short of the Buick. 3-liter V10 producing 500 hp and 525 lb-ft, to break the mark and end the 33-year reign.

0-liter for heavy-duty pickups. Lamborghini, then a Chrysler subsidiary, reworked it with a new aluminum block and heads, keeping the pushrod design while cutting weight. That collaboration let a truck-derived engine chase down a muscle car legend.

Today, a good 1992 Viper RT/10 trades in the high forties, with concours examples past $100,000. The 2003 SRT-10 sits around $52,000, with top documented cars nearing six figures. Both Vipers share the same architecture, and the record fell to a reworked version of the same nameplate, a fitting end to a chapter that one car opened and another closed.