Report: GM to kill Northstar System next month

The Northstar System was once the most advanced powertrain General Motors offered, but the 17-year old engine will be laid to rest next month.

General Motors' Northstar V8 was once the pinnacle of the automaker's powertrain know-how, but the versatile Northstar System will be laid to rest next month. The Northstar V8 made its debut in mid-1992 under the hood of the 1993 Cadillac Allante.

Although no longer considered a technically advanced powerplant, the Northstar System was quite high-tech for its day. Using the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1's Lotus-designed dual overhead cam V8 as a model, the Northstar V8 became Cadillac's first over-head cam, all-aluminum V8 engine. In addition to offering 100,000 mile service increments, the Northstar also offered the security of a limp home mode, ensuring engine damage would be kept to a minimum if cooling fluid was lost.

Initially reserved for the Cadillac brand, GM eventually offered variations of the Northstar System in some of its Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac models. The Northstar V8 was even converted into a V6 for use in the Oldsmobile division.

Over the course of its life, the 4.6L V8 was the most common form for the Northstar System, producing between 275 and 320 horsepower. However, GM made a few high-performance examples of the Northstar V8, the most powerful of which made 469 horsepower in the form of the Cadillac STS-V.

GM was working on a replacement for the Northstar in the mid-to-late 2000s, but the company's financial woes put an end to that program. In its stead, GM will continue to rely on its current crop of V6 and V8 engine offerings.

Just three GM vehicles currently use the Northstar V8, the Cadillac DTS, Cadillac STS and Buick Lucerne. However, while the STS and Lucerne are available with V6 engines, the DTS is only fitted with the Northstar System. It remains to be seen if GM will offer will offer the DTS with another powertrain or will send it to the automotive graveyard along with the Northstar.

References
1. 'GM's Northstar...' view