[Hog]

There are some SAAB CNP(Coil On Plug) setups that look like the setup above which do not use high tension plug wires.
The GEN III (LS1/6) use a CNP(Coil near Plug) ignition which use short high tension wires.

The only shortcoming I see with the LT5 system(if there is 1) is the length of the high tension plug wires.

The Northstar uses a wasted spark setup as well.(plug fies both on the power stroke and the exhaust stroke).
Getting away from the distributer was the big step in GM ignitions which was used in the 2002 L31 Vortec SBC350 in the trucks. Timing advance was PCM controlled, but as coil voltage goes up, cap/rotor wear increases. The L31 uses a 4x reluctor wheel on the crank.(4 pulses per crank rev. and a 1x camshaft sensor in teh ditributer body-1 pulse per camshaft rev)
There was a Vortec 454 BBC that uses the same distributer as the L31 Vortec 350 SBC and the same coil(which is the same coil the LT4 engine uses) as well it uses the same 4x crank and 1x camshaft position sensors.
In 1998 GM took the L29 Vortec 454, installed a CNP ignition along with a 24x crank reluctor/1x cam sensor and used an ETC(electronically controlled throttle) and called this the Vortec L21 454. This was the 1st GM truck engine to use CNP ignition. The camshaft position sensor(CMP sensor) is the same sensor as was in the older distributer body which was driven by the camshaft gear, except instead of the typical ditributer cap, a plastic cover is used. The only purpose of this cam gear driven unit is to drive the oil pump, and to give the PCM a 1x signal.
This engien was used in HD truck applications like the Kodiac meduim truck, P30 vans and motorhomes. The conventional Vortec L29 454was used in3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks.

In 2000 GM went from the L21 454 and the L29 454 to the Vortec 8.1(496) which used a full CNP ignition with a 24x reluctor crank reluctor and a 1x camshaft position sensor. For the new engine, the cam driven ditributer was needed as the PCM got its cam sensor info right off of the cam sprocket reluctor from a sensor mounted in the front timing chain cover.

Sorry for the book, but thats illustrates the ignition evolution for GM trucks. This has made it possible for more modern PCM's like the 411 PCM along with a SBC version of the L21 24x crank reluctor to convert conventional SBC's to run LS1/L21 style CNP ignition. It has also made it possible to run LS1/L21 styke CNP ignition on LT1/4's, eliminating the Optispark system.
The 411 PCM is GM p/n 12200411, it uses dual 80 pin connectors, and is a 512 kb OBD2 PCM.
If you can feed the 411 PCM a 24x signal, you could use is to fire an LS1 GEN 3 SBC CNP 8 coil ignition. Also feed it the TPS and MAP data, you coudl also control its fueling. No morew chips, say hello to flash memory and OBD2 tuning products. But it can only control 8 high impedance injectors, and wouldnt control the secondary throttles. I assume if someone really wanted to, they could eliminate the secondary throttles, and even the secondary injectors.

I dont see much if any gain (powerwise) from using a Northstar coil pack, as the LT5 uses pretty much the same setup IIRC. There would be soem advantages so far as parts availability goes.

Sorry for the book.

peace
Hog