Beatles versus Stones, burgers versus pizzas, and Ford versus Chevy­­––the biggest rivalries of the last 50 years will likely never be resolved. But if you’re a Ford guy, the odds just got a little bit better in your favor, because for 2012, Ford Racing is expanding its range of crate engines designed to fit nearly every performance application and budget. Here’s the menu:

Z363 500-HP Pushrod Crate Engine

Ford Racing has taken the popular 302-based stroker to the max with the 500-horsepower Z363 crate engine. By pushing the bore out to 4.125 inches, displacement of the popular 347 stroker has been increased to 363 cubic inches. The Z363 makes 50 more horsepower and 50 more foot-pounds of torque than the Z347 it replaces.

X427 Crate Engine  

Built on Ford Racing's new BOSS 351 block, this new 427 crate engine is fitted with Ford Racing X-Heads, and delivers 520 foot-pounds of torque, making it ideal for street rods, kit cars, muscle cars, and light-duty pickups and SUVs. More...

If you want something done right you have to do it yourself––or at least help the guy who’s doing it. That’s the idea behind the a new program that lets you help assemble your new LS7 or LS9 crate engine at GM’s Performance Build Center.

Even though you’re supplying some of the labor, the buy-in isn’t cheap––the LS7 has an MSRP of $22,756.10, and the LS9 has an MSRP of $32,050––but you’re getting 505 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque in the naturally aspirated LS7 and 638/604 in the supercharged LS9.

The price of the engine also includes a trip to GM’s unique Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan, where you’ll join a specially trained engine builder to assist in the start-to-finish assembly of your engine, from installing the crankshaft in the cylinder block to topping off the engine with its intake system. In the case of the LS9, it also means installing the supercharger assembly. More...

Flowing lines and fat tires are fine in their own way, but for real car guys and gals it’s all about what’s under the hood, where there’s no such thing as too much power––or too many cylinders, according to Mopar, which now offers a 512-cubic-inch V-10 crate engine that churns out a whopping 800 horsepower.

The V-10 Competition Series engine is designed specifically for drag racing, with road-race and off-road versions planned for the future. It has an aluminum block and heads, and is hand-assembled by race-engine builders using a forged steel crankshaft and con rods and forged aluminum pistons that give a compression ratio of 12.5:1.

If you’re lucky enough to have a dodge Viper that already has a V-10, you can upgrade it to up to 650 horsepower with a Performance Upgrade Kit that includes aluminum heads, a larger throttle body on a custom upper intake manifold, and new fuel rails and injectors.

But maybe eight cylinders is enough for you. No fear, Mopar is watching out for you, too, with a new crate version of the Gen III 426 Hemi V8. At 590 horsepower, it’s down some on the pumped V-10, but still no slouch. It comes with a forged steel crank, H-beam forged steel rods, an aggressive roller cam, and cast-aluminum valve covers. It’s the perfect choice for a drag car, street rod, or that old go-kart frame in the back yard.

When you’re right, you’re right. Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole got it right in 1955 when he came up with Chevy’s first V-8, which featured a 90-degree cylinder angle, overhead valves, and a 4.4-inch on-center bore spacing. This year will see the production of the 100 millionth Chevy small-block V-8, the engine that transformed the Chevrolet brand.

When it debuted, the small block delivered 195 horsepower with an optional four-barrel carburetor, and outperformed most anything on the market. New technologies rapidly increased horsepower, and just two years after the small block was introduced, the addition of fuel injection increased output to 283 horsepower—one horsepower for every cubic inch of the 283 cid engine.

The small block made Chevrolet the weapon of choice for grassroots racers on drag strips and sports-car tracks across America. It also powered Chevrolet’s factory racing programs, leading to wins in stock car, endurance, and Trans Am series. Chevrolet’s racing experience in turn led to more potent production cars, creating legendary names like Corvette, Camaro, Impala, and Chevelle

Hot rodders can select from a wide range of new Chevrolet V-8 crate engines from General Motors Performance Parts, from the classic 290-horsepower 350-cubic-inch small block to the E-ROD engine family, the first crate engine in the industry to meet California emissions requirements.

Today, Chevrolet sells more four-cylinder engines than V-8s. But descendants of the original Chevy small block still power Chevrolet’s most capable production and racing vehicles.