A V8 engine is an eight-
cylinder
A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base.
A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...
piston engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a
V configuration.
The first V8 engine was produced by the French
Antoinette
Antoinette is a given name, that is a diminutive feminine form of Antoine and Antonia (from Latin ''Antonius'').
People with the name include:
Nobles
* Antoinette de Maignelais, Baroness of Villequier by marriage (1434–1474), mistress of C ...
company in 1904, developed and used in cars and speedboats but primarily aircraft; while the American 1914–1935 ''Cadillac L-Head'' engine is considered the first road going V8 engine to be mass produced in significant quantities. The popularity of V8 engines in cars was greatly increased following the 1932 introduction of the
''Ford Flathead V8''.
In the early 21st century, use of V8 engines in passenger vehicles declined as automobile manufacturers opted for more
fuel efficient
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...
, lower capacity engines, or
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
and
electric drivetrains.
Design
V-angle
![Aero4G11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Aero4G11.jpg)
The majority of V8 engines use a V-angle (the angle between the two banks of cylinders) of 90 degrees. This angle results in good
engine balance
Engine balance refers to how the forces (resulting from combustion or rotating/reciprocating components) are balanced within an internal combustion engine or steam engine. The most commonly used terms are ''primary balance'' and ''secondary bal ...
, which results in low vibrations; however, the downside is a larger width than V8 engines that use a smaller V-angle.
V8 engines with a 60 degree V-angle were used in the 1996–1999
Ford Taurus SHO
The Ford Taurus SHO (Super High Output) is the high-performance variant of the Ford Taurus. Originally intended as a limited-production model, the SHO would be produced for the first three generations of the model line, from the 1989 to the 1999 ...
, the 2005–2011
Volvo XC90
The Volvo XC90 is a mid-size luxury SUV manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars since 2002 and now in its second generation.
The first generation was introduced at the 2002 North American International Auto Show and used the Volvo P2 platform ...
, and the 2006–2009
Volvo S80
The Volvo S80 is an executive car produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1998 to 2016 across two generations. It took the place of the rear-wheel-drive S90 as Volvo's flagship sedan.
The first generation (1998–2006) was made a ...
. The Ford engine used a 60 degree V-angle because it was based on a
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik ...
with a 60 degree V-angle. Both the Ford and Volvo engines were used in
transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles ...
chassis, which were designed for a front-wheel-drive layout (with on-demand all-wheel drive system in the case of the Volvos). To reduce the vibrations caused by the unbalanced 60 degree V-angle, the Volvo engines used a
balance shaft and offset split
crankpin
A crankpin or crank pin, also known as a rod bearing journal, is a mechanical device in an engine which connects the crankshaft to the connecting rod for each cylinder. It has a cylindrical surface, to allow the crankpin to rotate relative to the ...
s. The
Rolls-Royce Meteorite
The Rolls-Royce Meteorite was a British V8 petrol or diesel engine of capacity, and was derived from the Rolls-Royce Meteor, which was itself based on the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine. The Meteorite was, in essence, two-thirds of a V12 ...
tank engine also used a 60 degree V-angle, since it was derived from the 60 degree V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor which in turn was based on the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine.
Other V-angles have been used occasionally. The
Lancia Trikappa
The Lancia Trikappa is an automobile produced by Lancia between 1922 and 1925. It was a luxury car, the flagship of Lancia's production. The Trikappa 4.5-litre V8 is notable as the first of Lancia's narrow V engines, a distinguishing feature the ...
,
Lancia Dilambda
The Lancia Dilambda is a passenger car produced by Lancia between 1928 and 1935. The car was officially presented in Paris Motor Show in 1929. The car has 4 litre V8 engine with 24 degree V angle.
Three versions of the Dilambda were built:
* Firs ...
, and
Lancia Astura
The Lancia Astura is a passenger car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia between 1931 and 1939. Lancia replaced the Lambda model with two models: the four-cylinder Artena and the larger, V8-powered Astura. Both of these models were ...
, produced 1922–1939, used narrow angle V8 engines (based on the ''Lancia V4 engine'') with V-angles of 14—24 degrees.
[ Daniels, Driving Force, pp. 70-71, 92] The 1932
Miller
A miller is a person who operates a Gristmill, mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Mill (grinding), Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surname ...
four-wheel drive racing cars used a V8 engine with a V-angle of 45 degrees. The 8-cylinder versions of the 1945–1966
EMD 567
The EMD 567 is a line of large medium-speed diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. This engine, which succeeded Winton Motor Carriage Company, Winton's 201A, was used in EMD's locomotives from 193 ...
diesel locomotive engine also used a V-angle of 45 degrees.
Crankshaft configuration
Cross-plane crankshaft
Most V8 engines fitted to road cars use a
cross-plane crankshaft, since this configuration produces less vibration due to the perfect
primary balance
Engine balance refers to how the forces (resulting from combustion or rotating/reciprocating components) are balanced within an internal combustion engine or steam engine. The most commonly used terms are ''primary balance'' and ''secondary bala ...
and secondary balance. The cross-plane crankshaft has the four crank pins (numbered from the front) at angles of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees, which results in a cross shape for the crankshaft when it is viewed from one end.
![V8-Firing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/V8-Firing.gif)
The iconic rumbling exhaust sound produced by a typical cross-plane V8 engine is partly due to the uneven
firing order
The firing order of an internal combustion engine is the sequence of ignition for the cylinders.
In a spark ignition (e.g. gasoline/petrol) engine, the firing order corresponds to the order in which the spark plugs are operated. In a diesel engi ...
within each of the two banks of four cylinders. A typical firing order of L-R-L-L-R-L-R-R (or R-L-R-R-L-R-L-L) results in uneven intake and exhaust pulse spacing for each bank. When separate exhaust systems are used for each bank of cylinders, this uneven pulsing results in the rumbling sound that is typically associated with V8 engines. However, racing engines seek to avoid these uneven exhaust pressure pulses, to maximize the power output. The 1960s cross-plane V8 racing engines used long primary exhaust pipes (such as the Ford GT40 endurance racing car) or located the exhaust ports on the inside of the V-angle (such as the Lotus 38 IndyCar) to link the exhaust systems from each bank and provide even exhaust gas pulses),.
Flat-plane crankshaft
On the other hand, a
flat-plane crank
The flat-plane crank (sometimes flatplane) is a type of crankshaft for use in internal combustion engines that has a 180 degree angle between crank throws.
Details
Flat-plane cranks are used in V-configuration engines, generally with eight c ...
shaft is used by many V8 engines fitted to racing cars.
This configuration provides two benefits. Mechanically, the crankshaft can be machined from a flat billet and does not require counterweights so it is lighter. However, it produces more vibration due to a secondary imbalance.
From the gas dynamics aspect, the flat-plane crankshaft allows for even exhaust gas pulsing to be achieved with a simple exhaust system. The design was popularized in motor racing by the 1961–1965
Coventry Climax FWMV
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer.
History
Pre WW1
The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was reloca ...
Formula One engine, and the 1967–1985
Cosworth DFV
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
engine was highly successful in Formula One.
[ Ludvigsen, Classic Racing Engines, pp. 174–177] Several production sports cars have used flat-plane V8 engines, such as every Ferrari V8 model (from the 1973
Ferrari 308 GT4
Ferrari Società per Azioni, S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company buil ...
to the 2019-present
Ferrari F8 Tributo), the
Lotus Esprit V8, the
Porsche 918 Spyder
The Porsche 918 Spyder is a limited-production mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche. The 918 Spyder is powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine, developing at 8,700RPM, with two electric ...
, and the
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C, later known simply as the McLaren 12C, is a sports car that was designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It was the first ever production car wholly designed and built by McLaren, and their first production road ...
.
Most early V8 road car engines also used a flat-plane crankshaft, since this was simpler to design and build than a cross-plane crankshaft. Early flat-plane V8 engines included the 1910
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux.
Steam cars
T ...
engine, the 1915
Peerless
Peerless may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* Peerless Motor Company, an American automobile manufacturer.
* Peerless Brewing Company, in Birkenhead, UK
* Peerless Group, an insurance and financial services company in India
* Peerless R ...
engine, and the 1915
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
engine.
Origins
![Moteur de l Antoinette VII Musee du Bourget P1010360](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Moteur_de_l_Antoinette_VII_Musee_du_Bourget_P1010360.JPG)
The first known V8 engine was the
Antoinette
Antoinette is a given name, that is a diminutive feminine form of Antoine and Antonia (from Latin ''Antonius'').
People with the name include:
Nobles
* Antoinette de Maignelais, Baroness of Villequier by marriage (1434–1474), mistress of C ...
engine, designed by
Léon Levavasseur, which was first built in 1904.
The Antoinette was built in France for use in speedboat racing and, later, airplanes.
A 1905 version of the Antoinette engine produced with of weight (including cooling water), resulting in a power-to-weight ratio that was not surpassed for 25 years. Also in 1904, V8 engines began small-scale production by Renault and Buchet for use in race cars.
In 1905, the first V8 engine used in a road-going car was the
Rolls-Royce V-8 built in the United Kingdom. This model was initially produced with a V8 engine, however only three cars were produced before Rolls-Royce reverted to using straight-six engines.
In 1907, the ''Hewitt Touring Car'' became the first car built in the United States with a V8 engine.
The 1910
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux.
Steam cars
T ...
— built in France— is considered to be the first V8 engine produced in significant quantities.
The 1914
Cadillac L-head V8 engine is considered to be the first mass-production V8 engine.
This engine was built in the United States and was greatly assisted by Cadillac's pioneering use of
electric starter motors.
Early airplanes continued to use V8 engines, such as the 1915
Hispano-Suiza 8
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...
SOHC engine designed in Switzerland. This engine was used by American, French, and British military aircraft in World War One. It is estimated that approximately half of all Allied aircraft were powered by the Hispano-Suiza 8 engine.
File:Vulcan V8 engine (Autocar Handbook, Ninth edition).jpg , Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
automobile engine (circa 1919)
File:Hispano Suiza 8 A Brussel.jpg , 1914–1918 Hispano-Suiza 8A
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza 8A ...
airplane engine
Automobile use
The V8 engine with a cross-plane crankshaft is a common configuration for large automobile engines. The displacement of modern V8 engines is typically between , though larger and smaller examples have been produced, such as the V8 engine used in the 1971–1978
Cadillac Eldorado
The Cadillac Eldorado is a luxury car manufactured and marketed by Cadillac from 1952 until 2002 over twelve generations.
The Eldorado was at or near the top of the Cadillac line. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible and the Eldorado Brougham ...
.
Due to its large external dimensions, V8 engines are typically used in cars that use a
longitudinal engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back.
Use
This type of motor is usually used for rear-wheel drive cars, except ...
layout and rear-wheel drive (or all-wheel drive). However, V8 engines have also occasionally been used in
transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles ...
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
vehicles, sometimes using closer cylinder bore spacings and narrower cylinder bank angles to reduce their space requirements.
Australia
![2011 FPV GS Falcon BOSS 315 - Flickr - NRMA New Cars (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/2011_FPV_GS_Falcon_BOSS_315_-_Flickr_-_NRMA_New_Cars_%282%29.jpg)
The first Australian designed car to use a V8 engine was the 1965
Chrysler Valiant (AP6), which was available with an American-built Chrysler engine. The first locally designed V8 Ford was the 1966
Ford Falcon (XR) and the first V8 Holden was the 1968
Holden HK
The Holden HK series is an automobile which was produced by Holden in Australia from 1968 to 1969. Introduced in January 1968, the HK range progressively replaced the Holden HR series which had been in production since 1966. HK models were both ...
, both using engines supplied by their parent companies in the United States.
The first V8 engine to be mass-produced in Australia was the 1969–2000
Holden V8 engine
The Holden V8 engine is an overhead valve (OHV) V8 engine that was produced by the Australian General Motors subsidiary, Holden (GMH), between 1969 and 2000.
The engine was initially fitted to the Holden HT series in 1969 and was later utilis ...
. This cast-iron overhead valve engine used a V-angle of 90 degrees and was built in displacements of and , the latter being de-stroked to in 1985. The Holden V8 engine was used in various models including the Kingswood, Monaro, Torana, Commodore, and Statesman. Versions tuned for higher performance were sold by
Holden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team (HDT) was Holden's semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1986, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and Sports Sedan races during the 1970s. From 1980 the Holden Dealer ...
and
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was the officially designated performance vehicle division for Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the privately owned company modified Holden models such as the standard wheelbase Commodore, ...
, including versions stroked to up to . The Holden V8 engine was also used in
touring car racing
Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States.
While the cars do not move ...
and formed the basis of the Repco-Holden engined used in
Formula 5000
Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...
racing. In 1999, the Holden V8 engine began to be replaced by the imported
General Motors LS1 V8 engine.
In 1971, Ford Australia began local production of the
Ford 'Cleveland' V8, an overhead valve cast-iron engine. The engine was produced in displacements of and for use in the Australian Ford Falcon and Ford Fairlane models. It was also used in several low-volume
DeTomaso
De Tomaso Automobili ltd. (previously known as De Tomaso Modena SpA) is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso (1928–2003) in Modena in 1959. It originally produced various prototypes a ...
sports cars and luxury sedans built in Italy. Australian production ceased in 1982 when Ford Australia temporarily ceased production of V8 cars. From 1991 to 2016, the Ford Falcon was available with the imported
Ford Windsor,
Ford Barra or
Ford Modular
The Ford Modular engine is Ford Motor Company's overhead camshaft (OHC) V8 and V10 gasoline-powered small block engine family. Despite popular belief that the Modular engine family received its moniker from the sharing of engine parts across nu ...
V8 engines; the latter were marketed as "Boss" and locally assembled from a mix of imported and local parts.
A version of the
Rover V8 engine
The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder block and cylinder heads, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. It has been used in a wide ...
was produced in Australia for the ill-fated 1973–1975 Leyland P76 sedan. The engine was an overhead valve design and the only all-aluminium engine produced in Australia.
China
The 1958–1965
Hongqi CA72 was a luxury car, of which approximately 200 were built for government officials. It was powered by a
Chrysler LA engine
The LA engines are a family of pushrod OHV small block 90° V-configured gasoline engines built by Chrysler Corporation. It was factory-installed in passenger vehicles, trucks and vans, commercial vehicles, marine and industrial applications from ...
and built on the chassis of a 1950s Chrysler Imperial.
Czech Republic
![Tatra T603 Engine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Tatra_T603_Engine.jpg)
The 1934–1938
Tatra 77
The Czechoslovakian Tatra 77 (T77) is by many considered to be the first serial-produced, truly aerodynamically-designed automobile. It was developed by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray, the Zeppelin aerodynamic engineer. Launched in 1934, the Tatra 77 ...
rear-engined sedan was initially powered by petrol V8, which was air-cooled and used an overhead camshaft that operated the valves using a 'walking beam' rocker arrangement. This model line continued until 1999 when the
Tatra 700
The Tatra 700 is a rear-engined luxury car released in 1996 by the Czech car maker Tatra. It was essentially a heavily restyled version of the Tatra 613 model it replaced. It is one of the last production cars with an air-cooled engine.
The ...
ended production.
Tatra also produced diesel V8 truck engines from the 1939
Tatra 81 to the present day
Tatra 815
The Tatra 815 is a truck family, produced by Czech company Tatra. It uses the traditional tatra concept of rigid backbone tube and swinging half-axles giving independent suspension. The vehicles are available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x8, 10x10, 12x ...
.
France
French manufacturers were pioneering in their use of V8 engines in the early 1900s with the 1904
Antoinette
Antoinette is a given name, that is a diminutive feminine form of Antoine and Antonia (from Latin ''Antonius'').
People with the name include:
Nobles
* Antoinette de Maignelais, Baroness of Villequier by marriage (1434–1474), mistress of C ...
aircraft engine (the first known V8 engine) and the 1910
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux.
Steam cars
T ...
. However, there were few French automotive V8 engines in the following decades, with manufacturers such as Delage, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, Bugatti, and Hotchkiss instead using six-cylinder or straight-eight engines.
From 1935 to 1954,
Matford
Matford was a French automotive manufacturer established as a joint venture in 1934 by local firm Mathis and US-based Ford Motor Company. The name ''Matford'' derived from both companies' names. The company ceased activities in 1940.
Overview ...
(Ford's French subsidiary, later renamed to 'Ford SAF') produced cars with V8 engines, closely based on contemporary American Ford models.
Simca
Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simca bough ...
purchased the Ford SAF in 1954 and continued to produce various models powered by the Ford Flathead V8 until 1969.
After WW2, France imposed very steep
tax horsepower
The tax horsepower or taxable horsepower was an early system by which taxation rates for automobiles were reckoned in some European countries such as Britain, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy; some US states like Illinois charged license plate p ...
charges - the owners of cars with engines above 2 L were financially penalized, so France had a very small domestic market for larger-engined cars, such as the V8.
Despite this,
Facel Vega
Facel S.A. was a French manufacturer of pressed steel automobile components, later complete automobiles of their own design.
To intensify its World War II war effort, French subcontracting company for military aeronautics Bronzavia created a s ...
produced luxury and sports cars powered by Chrysler V8 engines from 1954 to 1964.
Germany
![Mercedes-Benz M156 Engine 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Mercedes-Benz_M156_Engine_02.JPG)
One of the first German V8 engines was the 1928–1945
Argus As 10
The Argus As 10 was a German-designed and built, air-cooled 90° cylinder bank-angle inverted V8 "low power" aircraft engine, used mainly in training aircraft such as the Arado Ar 66 and Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser and other small short-range re ...
aircraft engine. This engine was air-cooled, used an 'inverted V' design, and was used in several training, reconnaissance, and communications airplanes.
From 1933 to 1940, the
Horch 830 luxury cars were powered by V8 engines (sold alongside Horch's larger straight-eight engines). Shortly after, the 1934–1937
Stoewer Greif V8 was powered by a V8 engine.
BMW's first V8 engine was the 1954–1965
BMW OHV V8 engine
The BMW OHV V8 is an overhead valve V8 petrol engine produced from 1954 to 1965. It is BMW's first V8 engine, and BMW did not produce another V8 automobile engine until the BMW M60 in 1992.
The engine does not have an official model code, therefo ...
, a petrol engine with overhead valves and all-aluminium construction. The company resumed production of V8 engines in 1992 with the
BMW M60 aluminium double overhead camshaft engine, and V8 engines have remained in production until the present day. BMW's first turbocharged V8 engine was the 1998-2009
M67 twin-turbocharged diesel engine. The first turbocharged V8 petrol engine from BMW was the 2008–present
BMW N63
The BMW N63 is a twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine which has been in production from 2008 to present. The N63 is the world's first production car engine to use a "hot-vee" layout, with the turbochargers located inside the "V" of the engine. It is ...
engine.
Their first eight-cylinder engine since passenger car and motorsport straight-eight engine production stopped in 1944 and 1955 respectively, Mercedes-Benz began production of the
Mercedes-Benz M100 petrol V8 engine in 1963 and has continued production of V8 engines to the present day. The M100 had a single overhead camshaft, a cast-iron block and an aluminium head. Supercharging was first used on the
Mercedes-Benz M113 engine in 2002 and turbocharging was first used on non-commercial diesel V8 engines in 1999 with the
OM628 and on petrol engines with the
M278 engine in 2010.
Porsche's first road car to use a V8 engine was the 1978
Porsche 928 coupe. Its first to use a V8 diesel engine was the
second-generation Cayenne S Diesel in 2014.
Audi's first road car to use a V8 engine was the 1988
Audi V8
The Audi V8 (''Typ'' 4C) is a four-door, full-size luxury sedan, designed, manufactured and marketed by Audi in Germany from 1988-1993, as the company's flagship. As the first car from Audi to use a V8 engine, also was the first Audi to combine ...
luxury sedan. Its first model to use a V8 diesel engine was the
D2 A8 3.3 TDI in 2000.
Italy
;
The first V8-engined Alfa Romeo road car was the 1967–1969
Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a mid-engined sports car built by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It is one of the world's first supercars; it was the fastest commercially available car for the standing kilometer when introduced.Alfa Romeo 33 ...
mid-engined sports car, of which 18 cars were produced. This was followed by the 1970–1977
Alfa Romeo Montreal front-engined sports car. The engines for both cars are based on the 90-degree V8 engine from the
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33
The Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 was a sports racing prototype raced by the Alfa Romeo factory-backed team between 1967 and 1977. These cars took part for Sport Cars World Championship, Nordic Challenge Cup, Interserie and CanAm series. A small number o ...
racing car, and have double overhead camshafts and a dry sump. The 33 Stradale engine has a displacement of and a flat-plane crankshaft, while the Montreal uses an engine enlarged to and uses a cross-plane crankshaft.
The 2007–2010
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione / Spider sports cars are powered by a version of the
Ferrari F136 engine
The F136, commonly known as Ferrari-Maserati engine, is a family of 90° V8 petrol engines jointly developed by Ferrari and Maserati and produced by Ferrari; these engines displace between 4.2 L and 4.7 L, and produce between and . A ...
with a cross-plane crankshaft.
;
![Ferrari Tipo F136 E engine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Ferrari_Tipo_F136_E_engine.jpg)
Ferrari's first contact with V8 engines was the
Vittorio Jano
Vittorio Jano ( hu, János Viktor; 22 April 1891 – 13 March 1965) was an Italian automobile designer of Hungarian descent from the 1920s through 1960s.
Jano was born ''Viktor János'' in San Giorgio Canavese, in Piedmont, to Hungarian immi ...
-designed 1955
Lancia-Ferrari D50
The Lancia D50 was a Formula One racing car designed by Vittorio Jano for Lancia in 1954. The car's design made use of many innovative features, such as the use of the engine as a stressed chassis member, the off-centre positioning of the engine ...
, a Formula One racing car that the company acquired as part of its purchase of Lancia's Formula One racing department. The first Ferrari-developed V8 engines were used in the 1962
Ferrari 248 SP
The Ferrari SP (also known as the Ferrari Dino SP) was a series of Italian sports prototype racing cars produced by Ferrari during the early 1960s. All featured a rear mid-engine layout, a first for a Ferrari sports car. Major racing accolades in ...
and
Ferrari 268 SP
The Ferrari SP (also known as the Ferrari Dino SP) was a series of Italian sports prototype racing cars produced by Ferrari during the early 1960s. All featured a rear mid-engine layout, a first for a Ferrari sports car. Major racing accolades in ...
sports prototype racing cars, designed by
Carlo Chiti
Carlo Chiti (19 December 1924 – 7 July 1994) was an Italian racing car and engine designer best known for his long association with Alfa Romeo's racing department. He also worked for Ferrari and was involved in the design of the Ferrari 156 Shar ...
. This engine had a single overhead camshaft and was rear-mounted in the cars.
The company's first V8 road car was the 1973–1974
Dino 308 GT4 mid-engined sports car. The engine is a 90-degree all-aluminium V8 with double overhead camshafts. In 1975, the engine in the
Ferrari 208 GT4 became the smallest production V8 engine ever produced. The model lineage of mid-engined V8 road cars continues to the 2019–present
Ferrari F8 Tributo.
Five-valve-per-cylinder versions were used 1994–2005 in the
Ferrari F355
The Ferrari F355 (Type F129) is a sports car manufactured by Italian car manufacturer Ferrari produced from May 1994 until 1999. The car is a heavily revised Ferrari 348 with notable exterior and performance changes. The F355 was succeeded by th ...
and
Ferrari 360
The Ferrari 360 (Type F131) is a two-seater, mid-engine, rear wheel drive sports car manufactured by Italian automotive manufacturer Ferrari from 1999 until 2005. It succeeded the Ferrari F355 and was replaced by the Ferrari F430 in 2004.
Devel ...
. Turbocharging was introduced on the 1984–1987
Ferrari 288 GTO
The Ferrari GTO (often referred to as Ferrari 288 GTO) (Type F114) is an exotic homologation of the Ferrari 308 GTB produced from 1984 to 1987 in Ferrari's Maranello factory, designated GT for Gran Turismo and O for ''Omologata'' (homologated in ...
flagship car and the range of entry-level mid-engined sports cars switched to turbocharging with the 2015
Ferrari 488
The Ferrari 488 (Type F142M) is a mid-engine sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. The car replaced the 458, being the first mid-engine Ferrari to use a turbocharged V8 since the F40. It was succeeded by the Ferra ...
.
The Formula One team resumed usage of V8 engines for the 2006–2013 seasons, beginning with the
Ferrari 248 F1
The 248 F1 is a Formula One car, used by Ferrari for the 2006 season. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Simone Resta, Aldo Costa, Tiziano Battistini, Marco Fainello, John Iley and Marco de Luca with Ross Brawn playing a vital role in l ...
.
;
![Maserati V8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Maserati_V8.JPG)
The first Maserati V8 road car was the 1959–1965
Maserati 5000 GT
The Maserati 5000 GT is a 2-door coupé car, made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati from 1959–1966. A total of thirty-four were produced with bodies made by eight different Italian coach builders.
The first car in the ''Tipo 103'' ...
luxury coupe, of which only 34 cars were produced. The 5000 GT used a overhead camshaft engine derived from the ''Maserati 450S'' racing car. Developments of this engine were used in the 1963–1969
Maserati Quattroporte I
The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door full-size luxury sports sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "four doors". The car is currently in its sixth generation, with the first ...
luxury sedan, the 1967–1973
Maserati Ghibli
Maserati Ghibli is the name of three different cars produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati: the AM115, a V8 grand tourer from 1967 to 1973; the AM336, a V6 twin-turbocharged coupé from 1992 to 1998; and the M157, an executive s ...
, the 1971–1978
Maserati Bora
The Maserati Bora (Tipo AM117) is a mid-engine two-seat coupe manufactured by Maserati from 1971 to 1978. In common with other Maserati cars of the era, it is named after a wind, Bora being the wind of Trieste. The Bora ended Maserati's repu ...
2-seat coupe, and several other models.
The 1990–1996
Maserati Shamal
The Maserati Shamal (''Tipo AM339'') is a two-door grand touring coupé produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati from 1990 to 1996. In keeping with an established Maserati tradition, it is named after a wind: shamal (Arabic for ‘nor ...
2+2 coupe introduced a turbocharged V8 engine based on the existing ''Maserati Biturbo V6''. This engine was later replaced by the naturally aspirated
Ferrari F136 V8 engine, beginning with the 2001 ''Maserati Coupé / Spyder''.
;
During the 1920s and 1930s, Lancia produced a line of range-topping luxury cars powered by V8 engines: the 1922–1925
Lancia Trikappa
The Lancia Trikappa is an automobile produced by Lancia between 1922 and 1925. It was a luxury car, the flagship of Lancia's production. The Trikappa 4.5-litre V8 is notable as the first of Lancia's narrow V engines, a distinguishing feature the ...
, the 1928–1935
Lancia Dilambda
The Lancia Dilambda is a passenger car produced by Lancia between 1928 and 1935. The car was officially presented in Paris Motor Show in 1929. The car has 4 litre V8 engine with 24 degree V angle.
Three versions of the Dilambda were built:
* Firs ...
, and the 1931–1939
Lancia Astura
The Lancia Astura is a passenger car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia between 1931 and 1939. Lancia replaced the Lambda model with two models: the four-cylinder Artena and the larger, V8-powered Astura. Both of these models were ...
. The engines ranged in displacement from and used unusually narrow V-angles of 14 to 24 degrees with a single overhead camshaft. In the 1980s, an engine derived from Ferrari's V8 engine was transverse-mounted in the
Lancia Thema 8.32
The Lancia Thema (Type 834) is an executive car produced by the Italy, Italian automaker Lancia between 1984 and 1994, and one of four cars to share the Type Four platform alongside the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. The Thema was first ...
.
The only Fiat car to use a V8 engine was the
Fiat 8V
The Fiat 8V (or "Otto Vu") is a V8-engined sports car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1952 to 1954. The car was introduced at the 1952 Geneva Motor Show. The Fiat 8V got its name because at the time of its making, Fiat believed ...
, of which approximately 100 were produced 1952–1954. The pushrod engine used an all-aluminium construction and an unusual V-angle of 70 degrees. Fiat also began production of V8 diesel truck engines for the 1975 ''Des-8280'', initially in naturally aspirated form before switching to turbocharging in the mid-1980s.
Lamborghini's V8 powered models are the 1972–1979
Lamborghini Urraco
The Lamborghini Urraco is a 2+2 sports car manufactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini, introduced at the Turin Auto Show in 1970, marketed for model years 1972-1979, and named after a line of Miura-bred fighting bulls; the name translates to ...
2+2 coupe, 1976–1979
Lamborghini Silhouette
The Lamborghini Silhouette P300 is a two-door two-seat mid-engined rear-wheel drive sports car, that was made in small numbers by Lamborghini between 1976 and 1979.
Officially presented at the 1976 Geneva Auto Show, the Silhouette began as a sty ...
2-seat convertible, and 1981–1988
Lamborghini Jalpa
The Lamborghini Jalpa () is a sports car produced by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini from 1981 until 1988. It debuted at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show alongside the Lamborghini LM001 concept off-road vehicle. The Jalpa was the last ...
2-seat convertible. The 2018–present
Lamborghini Urus
The Lamborghini Urus is a high performance luxury SUV manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. It was unveiled on 4 December 2017 and was put on the market for the 2018 model year. The name comes from the urus, the ancestor ...
SUV uses a Volkswagen Group turbocharged V8 engine.
Japan
![1989 Toyota 1UZ-FE Type engine rear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/1989_Toyota_1UZ-FE_Type_engine_rear.jpg)
Japanese manufacturers have not been large producers of V8 engines for passenger cars, due to
Japanese government road tax regulations that impose higher charges for engines that exceed . However several passenger cars have been produced with V8 engines to meet the needs of consumers, as well as for use in motor racing.
;
Honda has never produced V8 engines for passenger vehicles. In the late 1990s, the company resisted considerable pressure from its American dealers for a V8 engine with American Honda reportedly sending one dealer a shipment of
"V8" vegetable juice to silence them. The only Honda car sold with a V8 engine was the 1993–1998
Honda Crossroad
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
SUV, which was a rebadged
Land Rover Discovery Series I fitted with the Rover V8 engine.
In motor racing, the
Honda Indy V8
The Honda Indy V8 is a 3-litre and 3.5-litre, naturally-aspirated V8 racing engine, developed and produced by Honda Performance Development in partnership with Ilmor Engineering for IndyCar Seriesbr>Honda NewsroomThe V8 was a highly successful ...
was produced for the 2003–2011 IndyCar racing series and was the control engine for the 2006–2011 seasons. The engine was a all-aluminium V8 with double-overhead camshafts, with a power output of 650-700 hp, and a 10,300 rpm redline. The 2006–2008
Honda Racing F1 Team
The Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda has participated in Formula One, as an engine manufacturer and team owner, for various periods since 1964. Honda's involvement in Formula One began with the season, and in 1965 they achieved their fi ...
used 2.4 L V8 engines, which produced around at 19,000 rpm, as mandated by
Formula One regulations
The numerous Formula One regulations, made and enforced by the FIA and later the FISA, have changed dramatically since the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. This article covers the current state of F1 technical and sporting regulatio ...
.
;
From 1999 to 2000, Mitsubishi briefly sold the
Mitsubishi 8A8 engine, which was a all-aluminium V8 engine with double overhead camshafts and direct injection. The engine was fitted to the Mitsubishi Proudia luxury sedan and Mitsubishi Dignity limousine, however financial pressures forced the company to discontinue sales of both these vehicles after only fifteen months.
;
The 1965–1989
Nissan Y engine is Nissan's first V8 engine, which uses a pushrod design and had a displacement of . Its main use was in the Nissan President limousine. The Y engine was replaced by the 1989–2001
Nissan VH engine
The VH series consists of engines built from 1989 to 2001 by the Nissan Motor Corporation. The design consists of a 90-degree V8 with an aluminium cylinder block that features a closed upper deck and a deep skirt. The cylinder heads are also alum ...
, which is an all-aluminium construction with double overhead camshafts and displacements of . This was replaced by the
Nissan VK engine
The VK engine (formerly known as the ZH) is a V8 piston engine from Nissan. It is an aluminum DOHC 4-valve design.
The VK engine was originally based on Nissan's '' VQ'' V6 rather than the '' VH'' V8 used in previous Q45/ Cima models. Changes ...
in 2002, which remains in production to the present day. The VK engine is an all-aluminium construction with double overhead camshafts and displacements of .
;
The first mass-produced Japanese V8 engine was the
Toyota V engine
Toyota Motor Corporation's V family of engines were a longitudinally-mounted V8 engine design. They were used from the 1960s through 1997. The V family engine was used in the prestigious Toyota Century. Toyota had worked with Yamaha to produce t ...
, which was introduced in the 1964 Toyota Crown Eight luxury car. The Toyota V engine was an all-aluminium construction, used a pushrod valvetrain and was produced until 1997. The
Toyota UZ engine
The Toyota UZ engine family is a gasoline fueled 32-valve quad-camshaft V8 piston engine series used in Toyota's luxury offerings and sport utility vehicles.
Three variants have been produced: the 1UZ-FE, 2UZ-FE, and 3UZ-FE. Production spanne ...
has double overhead camshafts and was produced 1989–2013, while the
Toyota UR engine
The Toyota UR engine family is a 32-valve dual overhead camshaft V8 piston engine series which was first introduced in 2006, as the UZ series it replaced began phasing out. Production started with the 1UR-FSE engine with D4-S direct injectio ...
added direct injection and has been in production since 2006.
From 2006 to 2009, the
Toyota Racing Formula One team cars were powered by naturally-aspirated V8 engines, as mandated by the Formula One rules. These Toyota engines were rated to produce at 19,000 rpm ( at 18,000 rpm for 2009), and were also used by the Williams, Midland, and Jordan teams.
Korea
Hyundai's first passenger car V8 engine was the 1999–2009
Hyundai Omega engine, which was based on the Mitsubishi 8A8 engine (see above). The Omega engine was replaced by the
Hyundai Tau engine
The Tau τ is a family of gasoline V8 engines produced by the Hyundai Motor Company. It replaced the Omega engine line.
Tau MPi
Specifications
4.6 Tau MPi for the Genesis' 4.6L Tau V8 engine:
:* Displacement (bore x stroke): ()
:* Block mate ...
, which is an all-aluminium construction with double overhead camshafts and has been produced from 2008–present.
Sweden
Volvo developed the
B36 V8 engine in 1952 intended to be used in the planned
Volvo Philip
The Volvo Philip was a concept car that was built by Volvo in 1952. It was designed especially for the United States market and so was fitted with a prototype V8 engine called the B8B, which produced at 4000 rpm and was fitted with whitewall ...
car. The project was canceled, but the engine was used in trucks from 1956.
Koenigsegg initially used twin-supercharged versions of the Ford Modular V8 engine in its 2002–2004
Koenigsegg CC8S
The Koenigsegg CC8S is a mid-engine sports car produced by the Swedish automobile manufacturer Koenigsegg. It was the company's first production automobile and the first production car to use the company's trademark dihedral synchro-helix actuation ...
and 2004–2006
Koenigsegg CCR
The Koenigsegg CCR is a Mid-engine design, mid-engine sports car manufactured by Koenigsegg and the successor to the company's previous offering, the Koenigsegg CC8S, CC8S.
Overview
Debuting at the March Geneva Auto Show#2004, 2004 Geneva Auto S ...
. The company switched to its own twin-supercharged engine for the 2006–2010
Koenigsegg CCX
The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engine sports car manufactured by Swedish automotive manufacturer Koenigsegg Automotive AB. The project began with the aim of making a global car, designed and engineered to comply with global safety and environment r ...
. A twin-turbocharged V8 engine was introduced in the 2011
Koenigsegg Agera
Koenigsegg Automotive AB () is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Ängelholm, Skåne County, Sweden.
Company
The company was founded in 1994 in Sweden by Christian von Koenigsegg, with the intention of producin ...
and has been used on all models since.
Soviet Union and Russian Federation
![Gaz-24-34-V8-engine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Gaz-24-34-V8-engine.jpg)
The 1958–1967
ZIL-111
The ZIL-111 was a limousine produced by the Soviet car manufacturer ZIL in 1958–1967. It was the first post-war limousine designed in the Soviet Union. After tests with the shortlived prototype ZIL-Moscow in 1956, which gained a place in the ...
limousine was among the first Soviet cars to be powered by a V8 engine. The engine was an all-aluminium construction with a pushrod valvetrain. Production of ZIL limousines powered by V8 engines continued until the ZIL-41047 was discontinued in 2002.
The 1959–1988
GAZ Chaika
The GAZ Chaika (russian: Ча́йка), which means gull, is a luxury automobile from the Soviet Union made by GAZ (''Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod'', translated as Gorky Automobile Plant (Russian: ''ГАЗ'' or ''Го́рьковский авто ...
was powered by a V8 engine with an all-aluminium construction and a pushrod valvetrain. This engine was also used in several limited-edition models for the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
.
Also, diesel engines of the V8 configuration are produced by the
Yaroslavl Motor Plant
OJSC «Autodiesel» (ОАО «Автоди́зель») known as the Yaroslavl Motor Plant (YaMZ), Russian: Яросла́вский мото́рный заво́д (ЯМЗ), romanized: Yaroslavskyi Motornyi Zavod (YaMZ), based in Yaroslavl, Russi ...
,
KamAZ .
Sollers
Sollers is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Philippe Sollers (born 1936), French writer and critic
* Augustus Rhodes Sollers (1814–1862), American politician
See also
* Sollers JSC
Sollers, formerly known as OAO Severst ...
produces gasoline engines for
Aurus cars .
United Kingdom
;
The 1969–1972
Aston Martin DBS V8 coupe/convertible was Aston Martin's first V8 model. This engine was an all-aluminium construction with double overhead camshafts and was used in several models up until 2000 when the Virage model was discontinued.
Production of V8-engined Aston Martin cars resumed in 2005 with a new generation of the Vantage, powered by the
Jaguar AJ-V8
The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the fourth new engine type in the history of the company. It was an in house design with work beginning before Ford's purchase of the company.
In 1997 i ...
naturally aspirated V8 engine. Since 2016, Aston Martin has switched to the
Mercedes-Benz M177 turbocharged V8 engine, beginning with the DB11 model.
;
Every McLaren road car since the brand's 2010 relaunch has been powered by the
McLaren M838T twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which was introduced in the McLaren 12C (then called the 'MP4-12C') coupe. This engine is an all-aluminium construction with double overhead camshafts and a flat-plane crankshaft.
;
![Bentley engine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Bentley_engine.jpg)
The first V8 engine to be produced in the United Kingdom was fitted to the 1905
Rolls-Royce V-8, of which 3 cars were produced. This engine used a
side valve
A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...
design, a V-angle of 90 degrees and had a displacement of .
Mass-production of V8 engines began in 1959 with the release of the
Rolls-Royce–Bentley L-series V8 engine
The Rolls-Royce–Bentley L-series V8 engine is an engine introduced in 1959. Built in Crewe, it was used on most Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles in the four decades after its introduction and was used in the Bentley Mulsanne until 2020.
...
in the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, the Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, and the Bentley S2. This engine is an all-aluminium construction with a pushrod valvetrain and a V-angle of 90 degrees. It has been produced in displacements of , with a twin-turbocharged version introduced in 1985. The L-series V8 engine remains in production in the Bentley Mulsanne luxury sedan.
;
Rover began production of automotive V8 engines in 1967 with the
Rover V8 engine
The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder block and cylinder heads, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. It has been used in a wide ...
. This engine used the design and tooling of the
Buick V8 engine
The Buick V8 is a family of V8 engines produced by the Buick division of General Motors between 1953 and 1981. The first version replaced the Buick straight-eight. Displacements vary from (for the division's unique all-aluminum early 1960s engi ...
purchased from General Motors. The Rover V8 is an all-aluminium construction with a pushrod valvetrain, displacements of and a V-angle of 90 degrees. It was used in various automobiles by Rover, Land Rover, and MG.
Production continued until 2006 when it was largely replaced by the
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine
The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the fourth new engine type in the history of the company. It was an in house design with work beginning before Ford's purchase of the company.
In 1997 it ...
.
;
The
Daimler V8 engine was introduced in the 1959 Daimler SP250 sports car and was produced until 1969. This engine has an iron block, an alloy cylinder head, a pushrod drivetrain and was produced in displacements of .
The
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine
The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the fourth new engine type in the history of the company. It was an in house design with work beginning before Ford's purchase of the company.
In 1997 it ...
— Jaguar's first V8 engine for road cars— has been in production since 1996. This engine is an all-aluminium construction with double overhead camshafts. It has been produced in both naturally aspirated and supercharged configurations.
Land Rover and Range Rover produced vehicles fitted with the
Rover V8
The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder block and cylinder heads, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. It has been used in a wide ...
naturally aspirated petrol engine 1970–2004, the
Ford TDV8 turbocharged diesel engine 2007–2012, the
BMW M62
BMW M62 is a naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine which was produced from 1995 to 2005. A successor to the BMW M60, the M62 features an aluminium engine block and a single row timing chain.
In 1998, a Technical Update included VANOS (variable va ...
naturally aspirated petrol engine 2002–2006 and
N63 twin-turbo petrol V8 from 2022, the
Jaguar AJ-V8
The Jaguar AJ-8 is a compact DOHC V8 piston engine used in many Jaguar vehicles. It was the fourth new engine type in the history of the company. It was an in house design with work beginning before Ford's purchase of the company.
In 1997 i ...
from petrol engine (in both naturally aspirated and supercharged configurations) from 2006–present and the
Ford 4.4 Turbo Diesel
The Ford 4.4 TD is a diesel V8 engine developed and built by Ford Motor Company. It has a power output of and of torque. As with the other AJDs, it has a Compacted Graphite Iron block that reduces weight while increasing engine block strength. ...
engine from 2010–present.
The 1970–1977
Triumph V8 was used solely for the Triumph Stag coupe. This engine had a cast-iron block, an aluminium cylinder head, single overhead camshafts and a displacement of .
The 1996–2003
TVR Speed Eight engine
The TVR Speed Eight is a naturally-aspirated V8 car engine designed by TVR and manufactured from 1996 to 2003. The engine was intended to power the TVR Griffith and the TVR Chimaera, but delays in its production meant that it powered only the ...
was used in the Cerbera road cars and the Tuscan Challenge racing cars. This engine had an all-aluminium construction, single overhead camshafts, a flat-plane crankshaft, and an unusual V-angle of 75 degrees.
United States
The first automotive V8 engine to reach production was the 1914–1935
Cadillac L-Head engine introduced in the Type 51. The L-head had an alloy crankcase, a single iron casting for each cylinder block and head, side valves, a flat-plane crankshaft and a displacement of . An electric
starter motor
A starter (also self-starter, cranking motor, or starter motor) is a device used to rotate (crank) an internal-combustion engine so as to initiate the engine's operation under its own power. Starters can be electric motor, electric, pneumatic ...
was used, eliminating the large engines being difficult to start with hand-cranking. The Cadillac engine was followed by a V8 model from
Peerless
Peerless may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* Peerless Motor Company, an American automobile manufacturer.
* Peerless Brewing Company, in Birkenhead, UK
* Peerless Group, an insurance and financial services company in India
* Peerless R ...
(using an engine manufactured by an amusement park manufacturer) in 1915.
The first American V8 production engine with
overhead valves
An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located bel ...
(a 'pushrod' engine) was used by the 1917
Chevrolet Series D
The Chevrolet Series D is an American automobile produced by Chevrolet between 1917 and 1918. Over 4,000 Series D cars were manufactured in the 1918 model year, and it was the first Chevrolet car with a V8 engine. It was not until 1955 that Chevr ...
. This engine used a counterweighted crankshaft, a detachable crossflow cylinder head, and had a displacement of . Production of the Series D models ceased in 1918.
The 1924
Cadillac Type V-63
The Cadillac V-63 is a large luxury automobile that was introduced in September 1923 by Cadillac as a 1924 model, replacing the previous Type 61. It used the GM C platform and was replaced by the Cadillac Series 355 in 1931. It retained the name ...
was powered by the first American V8 to use a cross-plane crankshaft, which reduced vibrations. A year later, Peerless also introduced a cross-plane crankshaft V8. Other manufacturers producing V8 engines by the mid-1920s included Lincoln, Ferro, Northway (supplier to Cadillac), Cole (Indianapolis and Mississippi), Perkins (Detroit), Murray, Vernon, and Yale.
A significant development in providing V8 engines in more affordable cars was the 1932–1954
Ford Flathead V8
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
. The Flathead V8 reduced production costs by using a
monobloc (or "en block") construction, where each cylinder bank is made from a single piece of cast metal. The engine was fitted to the low-cost
Ford Model 18 car, offering superior performance to its competitors.
Demand for larger cars increased in the years following World War II and the wider bodies were well suited to the fitment of V8 engines. This led to many manufacturers introducing overhead valve V8 engines, such as the 1949–1964
Oldsmobile Rocket engine, the 1949–1962
Cadillac 331 engine, the 1951–1958
Chrysler Firepower engine
The Chrysler Hemi engines, known by the trademark Hemi, are a series of American V8 gasoline engines built by Chrysler with overhead valve hemispherical combustion chambers. Three different types of Hemi engines have been built by Chrysler ...
, the
Studebaker
Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers M ...
's 1952 V8 engine, the 1953–1966
Buick Nailhead engine, the 1954–2002
Chevrolet small-block engine Chevrolet small-block engine refers to one of a number of gasoline-powered vehicle engines manufactured by the General Motors company. These include:
* The III, IV, V generation of LS-based GM engines.
* The I, II generation of non-LS Chevrolet ...
, the 1954–1963
Lincoln Y-block V8 engine
The Lincoln Y-block V8 engine was Ford's earliest OHV V8 engine, introduced by Lincoln in the 1952 model year. Like the later and better-known but even more short-lived Ford Y-block engine, its block's deep skirts gave the block the appearance of ...
, the 1955–1981
Pontiac V8 engine
The Pontiac V8 engine is a family of overhead valve 90° V8 engines manufactured by the Pontiac Division of General Motors Corporation between 1955 and 1981. The engines feature a cast-iron block and head and two valves per cylinder. Engine bloc ...
, and the 1956–1967
AMC Rambler engine.
Engine displacements grew in conjunction with the expanding size of
full-size cars through the 1950s to mid-1970s. This led to 'big block' engines such as:
*
Ford FE engine
The Ford FE engine is a Ford V8 engine used in vehicles sold in the North American market between 1958 and 1976. The FE was introduced to replace the short-lived (in the USA) Ford Y-block engine, which American cars and trucks were outgrowing. It ...
released in 1956
*
Lincoln Y-block engine released in 1956
*
Pontiac Super Duty engine released in 1961
*
Chrysler Hemi engine
The Chrysler Hemi engines, known by the trademark Hemi, are a series of American V8 engine, V8 gasoline engines built by Chrysler with overhead valve hemispherical combustion chambers. Three different types of Hemi engines have been built by ...
released in 1965
*
Chevrolet big-block engine
The Chevrolet "big block" engine is a term for a series of large-displacement, naturally-aspirated, 90°, overhead valve, gasoline-powered, V-8 engines; that were developed and produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors, from the ...
released in 1970.
The classification of 'big-block' or 'small-block' refers to the engine's external dimensions and is not necessarily indicative of the actual engine displacement. Engines with displacements between have been classified as both small-block and big-block, depending on the particular manufacturer's range of engines. Big-block engines reached their zenith with the
Cadillac 500 engine used in the 1970 Cadillac Eldorado coupe. During the 1970s, due to the oil crises and the gradual tightening of emission standards, big-block V8s were affected and as a result, their use in passenger cars decreased as manufacturers began to phase them out for more efficient designs.
Prior to the late 1970s, sharing of engines across General Motors' divisions was not commonplace. This enabled each division to have its own unique engine character but made for much duplication of effort. The company has since implemented sharing of engines across divisions, however, some divisions (such as Cadillac) still maintain some engines specific to their division. Ford and Chrysler had fewer divisions and favoured brand-specific shared designs.
In 2011 GM built its 100-millionth unit of the
Chevrolet small-block engine Chevrolet small-block engine refers to one of a number of gasoline-powered vehicle engines manufactured by the General Motors company. These include:
* The III, IV, V generation of LS-based GM engines.
* The I, II generation of non-LS Chevrolet ...
, making that engine family the most produced V8 engine in the world.
American manufacturers continue to produce large displacement V8 engines, despite the strategy of downsizing engines (often in conjunction with turbocharging) being adopted by many European and Asian manufacturers. These engines continued to use pushrod (overhead valve) valvetrains long after most overseas engines had switched to dual overhead camshaft designs. Examples include the
Chrysler Apache engine produced from 2011–present, the ''Ford Godzilla engine'' produced from 2020–present, and the
Chevrolet L8T engine produced from 2020–present.
Cadillac's
Cadillac LTA engine codenamed "Blackwing" developed, hand built, and exclusively used by Cadillac on its mid-range vehicles sporty sedans and coupes employs a turbocharged configuration with double overhead camshaft valve train, marking the first time in the brand's 100-plus-year history that a twin-turbo charged V8 unit is used.
Vietnam
In
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
,
VinFast
VinFast LLC is a Vietnamese private automotive company headquartered in Vietnam. Established in 2017, it is a member of the conglomerate organization Vingroup, that was founded by Phạm Nhật Vượng. It is the first Vietnamese car brand to ...
used a V8 engine in the full-size SUV
VinFast President
The VinFast LUX SA2.0 is a 5+2-seater mid-size luxury SUV produced by Vietnamese automaker VinFast since 2019. It was revealed at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.
Overview
The VinFast LUX SA2.0 is designed by Italian design company Pininfarina an ...
from December 2020.
Motorsport
![Renault RS26 engine 2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Renault_RS26_engine_2006.jpg)
V8 engines have been used in many forms of motorsport, from
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
,
IndyCar
INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
and
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
circuit racing, to
Top Fuel
Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 seconds ...
drag racing.
;
Among the first V8 Formula One cars to compete were the 1952
AFM entry and the 1954
Lancia D50
The Lancia D50 was a Formula One racing car designed by Vittorio Jano for Lancia in 1954. The car's design made use of many innovative features, such as the use of the engine as a stressed chassis member, the off-centre positioning of the engine ...
, with a development of the latter powering Juan Manuel Fangio's 1956 car to victory in the driver's championship. The 1.5 L Formula One era of 1961–1965 included V8 engines from Ferrari, Coventry Climax, British Racing Motors (BRM), and Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS). The driver's championships for the
1962,
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
,
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
, and
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
seasons were won by drivers of V8-powered cars. Also, from 1962 to 1965, the top three manufacturers in each season's Constructor's Championship all predominantly used V8 engines in their cars. In 1966, the engine capacity limits were increased to 3.0 litres (or 1.5 litres with a supercharger), and 1966–1967 Constructor's Championships were won by cars powered by the
Brabham-Repco V8 engine.
From 1968 to 1981, the
Cosworth DFV
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
V8 engine dominated Formula One racing. During this time, the Manufacturers' Championship was won by Cosworth DFV powered cars every season except 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1979, which were won by 12-cylinder Ferraris. After a very long period of dominance, the Cosworth DFV was eventually outpaced by turbocharged straight-four and V6 engines.
The next period of significant V8 usage in Formula One was from
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
to
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, when the rules mandated use of naturally-aspirated V8 engines, with regular power outputs between 730 and 810 hp
(in order to reduce the power outputs being achieved by the previous 3.0 litre V10 engines). These were replaced by 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines for the 2014–present seasons.
;
American premier stock car racing
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
series has been dominated by V8 engines since its inaugural
1949 season.
;
In the American
Top Fuel
Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 seconds ...
class of drag racing, V8 engines displacing today produce outputs of over . and . The engines used in Top Fuel and
Funny car
Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appea ...
drag racing are typically based on the aluminum-conversion
Chrysler 426 Hemi engine and run on highly explosive
nitromethane
Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in ...
fuel.
;
The world's fastest non-jet-powered (i.e. piston-engine powered) wheeled land vehicle, the Speed Demon, which achieved a speed of 462.345 mph in 2017, is powered by an V8 engine based on the
Chevrolet small-block engine Chevrolet small-block engine refers to one of a number of gasoline-powered vehicle engines manufactured by the General Motors company. These include:
* The III, IV, V generation of LS-based GM engines.
* The I, II generation of non-LS Chevrolet ...
design.
File:Climax FWMV 1500.jpg , 1962 Coventry Climax FWMV
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer.
History
Pre WW1
The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was reloca ...
Formula One engine
File:Cosworth V8 Engine Champ Car 2004.jpg , 2004 Cosworth XF Champ Car
Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...
engine
File:Circa 1980 Cosworth DFV at Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi.jpg, A Cosworth DFV
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had fo ...
3-litre V8 Formula One engine
Airplane use
![Wolseley 120 hp V8 aero engine (Rankin Kennedy, Modern Engines, Vol III)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Wolseley_120_hp_V8_aero_engine_%28Rankin_Kennedy%2C_Modern_Engines%2C_Vol_III%29.jpg)
Several early aircraft engines used a V8 configuration, such as the French 1904
Antoinette
Antoinette is a given name, that is a diminutive feminine form of Antoine and Antonia (from Latin ''Antonius'').
People with the name include:
Nobles
* Antoinette de Maignelais, Baroness of Villequier by marriage (1434–1474), mistress of C ...
engine and 1906
Buchet
Buchet () was a French motorcycle and automobile manufacturer between 1911 and 1930.
Origins
Société Buchet was founded in 1888 at Levallois-Perret as a producer of lamps. In 1899 Élie-Victor Buchet began to manufacture engines for auto-mak ...
engines. During World War One, V8 aircraft engines included the French
Renault 8G
The Renault 8G was a family of French liquid-cooled V-8 aero engines of the World War I era that produced from to .
Design and development
Construction used separate cast iron blocks for each pair of cylinders, mounted on a light-alloy crankc ...
, the Spanish
Hispano-Suiza 8
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...
, the British
Sunbeam Arab
The Sunbeam Arab was a British First World War era aero engine.
Design and development
By 1916 the demand for aero-engines was placing huge demands on manufacturing. To help ease the pressure the War Office standardised on engines of about ; ...
, and the American
Curtiss OX-5
The Curtiss OX-5 was an early V-8 American liquid-cooled aircraft engine built by Curtiss. It was the first American-designed aircraft engine to enter mass production, although it was considered obsolete when it did so in 1917.Smith, 1981, pa ...
.
After this time, flat-eight engines became more commonplace than V8 engines due to their lighter crankshafts and better suitability to air cooling. One of the few remaining V8 airplane engines by World War Two was the German
Argus As 10
The Argus As 10 was a German-designed and built, air-cooled 90° cylinder bank-angle inverted V8 "low power" aircraft engine, used mainly in training aircraft such as the Arado Ar 66 and Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser and other small short-range re ...
inverted V8, which was air-cooled and used in several trainer as well as small utility aircraft.
Marine vessel use
![ScaniaV8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/ScaniaV8.jpg)
The V8 configuration is not commonly used in marine vessels, however, several marine diesel V8 engines have been produced by companies such as Brons, Scania, and Yanmar.
Gray Marine Motor Company
Gray Marine Motor Company was a U.S. manufacturer of marine engines between 1910 and 1967. These ranged from one to six cylinders in both gas and later diesel layouts, which were used in pleasure boats, work boats, and military craft.
Gray w ...
was one of the first to use V8 engines for marine use.
Engines from
American Motors Corporation
American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
(AMC) were used from 1957 to 1968. They were marketed as "Fireball" inboards and available in versions using a variety of carburettor combinations including single and dual Carter one barrel YH side-drafts, Carter two-barrel, and Carter AFB/AVS four-barrel types. The engine is mostly the same as for automobile applications, with changes to freeze plugs and cam profiles (to reduce top rpm) but often has a reverse rotation for use in twin-engine boats.
Wärtsilä 31, a four-stroke medium-speed diesel engine manufactured by
Wärtsilä
Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. The core products of Wärtsilä include technol ...
, is one of the few large marine diesel engines available in V8 configuration. The 8V31 model, which has a cylinder bore of , is available as diesel (8V31), dual-fuel (8V31DF), and pure gas (8V31SG) configurations with an output of depending on the model.
Motorcycle use
Until
Boss Hoss Cycles
Boss Hoss Cycles is a US motorcycle manufacturer founded by Monte Warne in 1990 and based in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
Overview
The company manufactures extraordinarily large displacement motorcycles and motorized tricycles with Chevrolet V8 ...
began production in 1990, the few
V8 motorcycles made were either prototypes or racing machines.
In 1907,
Glen Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...
set an unofficial world record of on a home-made motorcycle. The
Moto Guzzi V8 was a motorcycle capable of
used for Grand Prix racing from 1955 to 1957. The 1994
Morbidelli V8 was a concept motorcycle which did not reach production. , Boss Hoss had sold over 4,000 bikes and trikes with Chevrolet V8 car engines.
See also
*
Flat-eight engine A flat-eight engine, also called a horizontally-opposed eight, is an eight-cylinder piston engine with two banks of four inline cylinders, one on each side of a central crankshaft, 180° apart.
In a flat-eight engine, the connecting rods for corres ...
*
Straight-eight engine
The straight-eight engine (also referred to as an inline-eight engine; abbreviated I8 or L8) is a piston engine with eight cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. The number of cylinders and perfect primary and secondary engi ...
*
W8 engine A W8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine with four banks of two cylinders each, arranged in a W configuration.
In practice, the W8 engine is created from two narrow-angle (15 degree) VR4 engines mounted at an angle of 72 degrees from e ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:V8 Engine
8