In the world of drag racing,  Chevrolet and Ford engines are typically the basis for big horsepower efforts. And for good reason, as these are both excellent platforms for creating power and with untold numbers of aftermarket components designed to bolt up to them. Engines from the famed Pontiac brand have been widely used in the sport, as well, albeit in fewer numbers, and that’s exactly what we have here: a 481 cubic inch Pontiac engine that’s pushing the 1,100 horsepower mark. and it’s naturally aspirated, making it that much more impressive.

We’re sure that many of our fans have heard the name “Marcella” before. Fabricator to the stars John Marcella has created some of the most impressive handcrafted sheet metal intakes in the business used by many of the top names in drag racing. We’ve done several features on his craftsmanship, such as the custom intakes for the Bruder Brothers in X275. But what does a guy like John Marcella do in his free time? Why not build one of the sickest Pontiac engines we have ever seen with his special touch of hand fabricated pieces?

The 481 Pontiac is based on a 4.375″ bore combined with a 4.00″ stroke and topped off with a pair of Edelbrock 11-degree Pontiac heads. The heads were worked over by Marcella himself as well as just about every other piece on this engine. From the beautiful tri-y headers to the oil pan, everything was custom fabricated in house by Marcella to add his special touch. Now we all know that the chrome doesn’t get you home but it sure does look cool, and when you look at the dyno numbers it’s even more impressive. 8300 RPM was the magic number.

Check out the entire build thread on Yellowbullet.