Since its infancy in the '70s, it has undergone several revisions, with a number of variants like the fifth-generation 454 big block and Gen VI Vortec 7400 truck engines, rated at 230 and 290 ...
It went by many names, from the 8.1-liter V8 and the "496," to the RPO-coded L18 and the 454's bigger brother ... a switch ...