4/09: It’s 409 day—The engine that inspired a song, and a legion of drag racers
“My four-speed dual-quad, positraction 409…” The 409-cid big-block Chevrolet V-8 is the engine made famous on drag strips across the country and celebrated by the Beach Boys’ 1962 song, "409."
It began life as the Turbo-Thrust 348-cid engine that debuted for the ’58 model year. It was referred to as the big-block V-8 when marketed alongside the 265-cid and 283-cid small-blocks or the inline-six 265-cid engines.
Born in an age when…