GM Performance Parts will auction the first of its new LSX454R crate engines this Friday evening at Barrett-Jackson's 40th Anniversary event in Scottsdale, Arizona.

With the Scottsdale auction week under way, news of significant sales is flowing steadily. One particular sale coming up on Friday at Barrett-Jackson is actually not a car, but an engine – the very first of the new GM Performance Parts LSX454R crate packages to be sold. The proceeds of the sale will go to the American Heart Association.

The engine itself is something of a high-water mark for GMPP, as the LSX454R is the highest horsepower small-block ever produced by General Motors. The official rating for the Gen III/IV-based engine is 750hp, along with 680-lbs.ft. of torque, and it’s intended primarily for drag-race duty. It’s based on GMPP’s LSX Bowtie block and topped with the new LSX DR cylinder heads, which take advantage of the LSX block’s six-bolt mounting pattern and also feature raised ports. A high-rise intake with corresponding ports and a large open plenum is also part of the package, mounting a Holley Dominator 1,150-CFM carburetor. Inside, there’s a forged steel crank and connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons, plus a solid-roller camshaft with a massive .738-inch lift and 250/270 duration at .050. The 13:1 compression ratio makes this strictly a race-fuel combination.

Scheduled for Friday evening, the #1 LSX454R crate carries Barrett-Jackson lot number 1032.1 and the sale will be televised as part of SPEED’s coverage. For more details on the LSX454R, go to www.gmperformanceparts.com; to learn more about the American Heart Association, go to www.americanheart.org.