We ran into an interesting piece on the WardsAuto.com blog about the left-for-dead 4.5L Duramax V8 GM had developed. The engine was destined for half-ton trucks and was looking to be a killer with great power and, of course, torque.

When it was all going to Hell for GM and they were throwing all the ballast they could off the side of the ship in order to keep it above the waves, this engine program got zapped. The good news is that the motor was so far along in the process the entire thing was simply placed on the shelf, rather than being pulled apart and left to the history books.

GMs Vice Chairman Tom Stephens, the former head of powertrain development for the company, said that when the time is right, GM is ready to pull the parts off the shelf, flip the switch, and make this engine a reality. That’s certainly a glimmer of hope, but as long as as prices stay low, we think it’ll be a paper weight.

Hit the link to read the whole story about the diesel, and a bunch more over at Ward’s.