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The decision to stick with pushrod technology was seen as archaic at the time; such engines were seen as outdated compared to the smaller capacity (but more powerful and fuel efficient) overhead cam engines favored by European and Asian manufacturers. One of GM's domestic rivals, [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], had announced plans to axe its [[Ford small block engine|small block engine]] from production in the early 1990s,<ref name=":5" /> in favor of its Modular engines. Another domestic rival, Chrysler Corporation, had stopped building passenger cars with V8 engines years prior, relegating them to its trucks and SUVs. Many car enthusiasts also desired a [[dual overhead cam]] engine;<ref name=":4" /> GM in response had developed the [[Northstar engine series|Northstar]] engines for Cadillac, but those engines were initially exclusive to that brand and not originally designed for rear-wheel-drive vehicles. Later on, Sam Winegarden, former General Motors chief engineer for small-blocks, stated that despite the stigma of the pushrod engine being "a symbol of the uncompetitiveness [sic] of the domestic industry," the decision to stick with pushrods was made on the basis that switching to overhead camshafts was unnecessary. The power requirements for the Corvette were satisfied by simply increasing engine displacement.<ref name=":5" /> Current General Motors chief engineer for small-blocks Jake Lee also stated that switching to overhead camshafts would also increase the height of the engine by {{cvt|4|in|mm|sigfig=3}}, rendering it too tall to fit under the [[Hood (car)|hood]] of the Corvette.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-24 |title=2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Gains New LT1 6.2-Liter V-8 |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/2014-chevrolet-corvette-c7-gains-new-lt1-6-2-liter-v-8-179333/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=MotorTrend |language=en |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323213125/https://www.motortrend.com/news/2014-chevrolet-corvette-c7-gains-new-lt1-6-2-liter-v-8-179333/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Approval for the Gen III was granted in May 1992, after a seat-of-the-pants decision made by General Motors executives who went for a drive in two Corvettes—one equipped with a traditional pushrod engine and one with a newer dual overhead camshaft engine. Tom Stephens, then-executive director of General Motors Powertrains, was the man in charge of the project. Stephens had the task of designing an engine that was not only more powerful than the previous small-block iterations, but one that could also deliver better [[Fuel economy in automobiles|fuel economy]] and meet [[emissions standards]]. Work began in 1993, shortly after the release of the LT1 Gen II engine. A small team hand-picked from the Advanced Engineering department of General Motors was assembled to do much of the initial design work, with initial prototypes hitting test benches by the winter of 1993. Stephens also recruited Ed Koerner, a former [[NHRA]] record holder, to help with much of the hands-on work, while Stephens
== Design ==
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