This year, Lunati released an entirely new line of camshafts for the LS engines. Dubbed the Black Magic series — partially for the unique surface finish applied to the entire camshaft and partially because of how well the camshafts perform in their respective applications — this new lineup is aimed at making camshaft selection easier and less expensive.

By offering “stages” in each family of applications, it’s much easier to pick a camshaft without having to dive deep into the cam’s specs. Ranging from the mild “Stage 1” grinds, all to way to a radical “Stage 4” the Black Magic cams are available in a number of “families” designed for naturally aspirated Gen-III and Gen-IV small block combinations, in both truck and standard LS variants, as well as turbo, twin-turbo, and supercharger-specific grinds.

The Black Magic’s unique surface finish is applied in-house. Lunati is playing the exact details of the coating close to the vest, but did say that it increases surface hardness and camshaft longevity. The aesthetics of the finish are merely a pleasant secondary benefit.

Not just for good looks, the Lunati black surface finish is applied to the camshafts in-house and adds hardness to the entire surface of the camshaft, leading to increased durability of the journals, lobes, and the core itself. And then the clincher for this new line of cams is their affordable price. A goal from the outset, the Black Magic cams were designed to be easy on the wallet.

Looking at the complete Black Magic lineup, the specs don’t read like a budget camshaft option, with some significantly aggressive grind profiles being offered — especially those cams with the “Stage 4” designator. However, these lobe profiles have been specifically designed by Lunati not only for their power production, but also the lobes’ overall reliability with the rest of the valvetrain as well.