Holley LS Fest - Infestation

LS engines are taking up residence in every form of transportation. Now they make their way to the Holley LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky

From the January, 2013 issue of Popular Hot Rodding

By Johnny Hunkins

Photography by Author

We’ve noticed that hot rodders love to divide themselves into camps of brands and engine families—sometimes even specific years. We have to admit, a little friendly rivalry is fun, but for some guys, brand loyalty verges on religious fervor. When given the chance to break free of the bad news on TV, the infighting at work, the rush hour traffic, arguing with the kids, the apathy of customer service—you’d think people would want to chill out when it’s hot roddin’ time. Nope. For some guys, it’s time to pop the knuckles, log on to the Interweb, and start clacking on the keyboard about what sucks about this guy’s car or that guy’s motor. Caps lock on.

The LS engine is one of those electrifying topics that turn an otherwise sane group of men into a hockey brawl. On one side, it’s sacrilegious to pull out a small-block Ford and drop an LS in. It’s not only an insult to everything good; you’re screwing with the order of nature. Anybody doing an LS swap just isn’t showing due respect to history. In some cases, you may be screwing up an irreplaceable car. And besides, we worked hard over decades to unlock the secrets of Oldsmobuick power—you just can’t throw all that away and put some upstart engine underhood. LS guys not only disagree, they point to the fact that hot rodding has always been about building the wild, irreverent mash-up, so who are you to judge?

Yet it’s a fact that if you put an LS motor into almost anything—even another Chevy—you’re going to piss someone off. And isn’t that the point? Hot rodders have an independent streak a mile wide. The LS swapper’s philosophy: You’re not going to tell me what to do. I’ll put whatever motor I want in my car, and you can pound on your keyboard. And while doing an LS swap isn’t the brain surgery it once was—thanks to Holley and other pioneers—there is a singular jaunty pride LS swappers exude that just irritates the hell out of traditionalists.

Of course, all the fuss at the Holley LS Fest is about GM’s Gen III and Gen IV LS-series engine. Were it not for the LS’s superior power density, light weight, massive aftermarket support, low cost, compact packaging, and high efficiency, there’d be nothing for us to talk about. As an engine family, the LS’s overwhelming superiority is undeniable. Holley knows this, and so do the hundreds of LS fans and manufacturers who attended the LS Fest this past September. Putting an LS underhood is like taking steroids—it’s a surefire way to bulk up your power for not a lot of work. You only have to look as far as the import drifters—of which there were many at the LS Fest—to see this at work.

The Holley LS Fest is not only a celebration of everything LS, it’s arguably the best opportunity anywhere for LS fans to meet each other, show their stuff off, swap information, and learn about new products that will help them in their LS quest. It’s also the only event a hard-core LS guy can go to where he doesn’t have to defend his choice of powerplants.