The engine builder's engine builder
Philosophy
John Lingenfelter was an NHRA drag racer who won his first national event in a 1969 Camaro in 1972, then quit his engineering job at International Harvester to chase speed full-time. In 1984 he founded Lingenfelter Performance Engineering in Decatur, Indiana, with a goal that defined the company: build high-performance engines for the masses, without sacrificing the ability to daily-drive them.
LPE became the engine builder's engine builder. When Reeves Callaway needed a powerplant for the record-breaking Sledgehammer, he turned to Lingenfelter, who built the twin-turbo small block and personally drove the car to 254.76 mph. LPE pioneered aftermarket electronic fuel injection adaptation and built some of the most respected Corvette and Camaro packages ever — stroking LT5 engines to 6.8 liters, building 850 hp twin-turbo ZR-1s. Though John passed in 2003, LPE continues as one of the most trusted names in GM performance.
By the Facts
Iconic Builds
The definitive LPE Corvette. Stroked, twin-turbocharged, and engineered to daily-drive — the purest expression of what Lingenfelter does.
Value · $110,000–$150,000
The twin-turbo small block John built and drove to a 25-year world record for Callaway. The most famous engine in American tuner history.
Value · Historic
800 hp supercharged Camaro with LPE's signature daily-drivable reliability. The Camaro as John Lingenfelter would have built it.
Value · $90,000–$120,000