Author: staff@jalopnik.com (Richard Sachek)

Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock There’s an old adage amongst gearheads that “there is not any substitute for displacement.” Nonetheless, within the age of Mercedes’ controversial 2.0-liter M139 hybrid cranking out 470 horsepower, that old-school maxim might not be valid. Nonetheless, the 45-cubic inch difference between Chevrolet’s venerable 350-cubic inch V8 and its smog-era cousin, the lowly 305, still stirs up a vigorous debate amongst bowtie fans. Introduced in 1976, the smaller 305 was seen as a path to increased fuel economy while sharing a substantial amount of parts with the prevailing 350 small-block to maintain costs down. Each engines have a similar…