By Jenn McKeogh, senior manager, GM News
General Motors' Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky isn’t just the home of the iconic Chevrolet Corvette. The plant also houses an exclusive engine assembly area that equips GM’s most powerful performance vehicles with their muscle.
Built for performance
The Performance Build Center (PBC) is a 20,000 square-foot production area dedicated to assembling high-performance, low-volume engines. These engines are destined for select GM models, including the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the Cadillac Escalade-V, and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
One of the premier products the PBC manufactures is the LT7 engine, which debuts in the all-new, 1,064-hp1 2025 Corvette ZR1 – the fastest and most powerful vehicle ever built by an American auto manufacturer. ZR1 production in Bowling Green will debut later this quarter.
“The LT7 represents the best of what we do here: innovation, precision, and performance born from passion,” says PBC area manager Brad Daughenbaugh.
Watch the video below to see the LT7 – a twin-turbo 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V8 engine – come to life at the hands of the skilled master technicians in Bowling Green2.
[VIDEO – Brightcove ID 6372064097112]
Building blocks
Originally located in Michigan, the PBC moved to Bowling Green in 2013. The center has about 70 employees, all master engine builders. The team assembles each performance engine by hand, producing about 90 engines daily.
This specialized area is unlike most traditional assembly lines, which typically feature operators staged along a conveyor with each employee responsible for a certain job in the assembly process. In the PBC, the workstations and parts are stationary, with engine builders manually moving the engine from section to section to complete the build.
Each engine type has a different assembly line, with a team of specialized engine builders and a team leader for each section. When a technician completes each engine, they attach a custom nameplate that shows the builder’s printed name and signature.
Each engine built in the Performance Build Center is embellished with a nameplate featuring the technician’s name and signature.
“Every engine that leaves this place carries more than horsepower—it carries our name, our pride, and our craftsmanship,” says Daughenbaugh.
Working at the PBC requires a skills assessment and interview process, and accepted applicants must complete six weeks of in-depth training. Todd Browning, a PBC launch team member and a self-described gearhead, says once a new member joins the team, they’re not quick to leave.
“Being in the PBC has given me opportunities to do things I never thought I would. It is an honor to be here,” Browning says. "I’ve built over 1,000 engines at this point and each one of them meant something special to me.”
Check out these stories to learn more about General Motors manufacturing:
1 According to SAE standards.
2 Assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, using U.S. and globally sourced parts.
General Motors' Bowling Green Assembly plant in Kentucky isn’t just the home of the iconic Chevrolet Corvette. The plant also houses an exclusive engine assembly area that equips GM’s most powerful performance vehicles with their muscle.
Built for performance
The Performance Build Center (PBC) is a 20,000 square-foot production area dedicated to assembling high-performance, low-volume engines. These engines are destined for select GM models, including the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the Cadillac Escalade-V, and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
One of the premier products the PBC manufactures is the LT7 engine, which debuts in the all-new, 1,064-hp1 2025 Corvette ZR1 – the fastest and most powerful vehicle ever built by an American auto manufacturer. ZR1 production in Bowling Green will debut later this quarter.
“The LT7 represents the best of what we do here: innovation, precision, and performance born from passion,” says PBC area manager Brad Daughenbaugh.
Watch the video below to see the LT7 – a twin-turbo 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V8 engine – come to life at the hands of the skilled master technicians in Bowling Green2.
Building blocks
Originally located in Michigan, the PBC moved to Bowling Green in 2013. The center has about 70 employees, all master engine builders. The team assembles each performance engine by hand, producing about 90 engines daily.
This specialized area is unlike most traditional assembly lines, which typically feature operators staged along a conveyor with each employee responsible for a certain job in the assembly process. In the PBC, the workstations and parts are stationary, with engine builders manually moving the engine from section to section to complete the build.
Each engine type has a different assembly line, with a team of specialized engine builders and a team leader for each section. When a technician completes each engine, they attach a custom nameplate that shows the builder’s printed name and signature.
“Every engine that leaves this place carries more than horsepower—it carries our name, our pride, and our craftsmanship,” says Daughenbaugh.
Working at the PBC requires a skills assessment and interview process, and accepted applicants must complete six weeks of in-depth training. Todd Browning, a PBC launch team member and a self-described gearhead, says once a new member joins the team, they’re not quick to leave.
“Being in the PBC has given me opportunities to do things I never thought I would. It is an honor to be here,” Browning says. "I’ve built over 1,000 engines at this point and each one of them meant something special to me.”
Check out these stories to learn more about General Motors manufacturing:
- GM drives America: How we’re creating jobs by investing in manufacturing
- GM inducted into Indiana Manufacturers Hall of Fame
1According to SAE standards.
2Assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, using U.S. and globally sourced parts.