The award for best engine ever goes to........
Discussion
Definitely in agreement on the Alfa engines, had the 3.0 in a 164 (till it was nerfed from behind) still got one in my 75, best engine in one of my own cars prior to the Chim. Alfa's 4 cyl engines are pretty good too, had loads of them, must have been streets ahead when they first came out, all alloy, twin cam, twin carb, sodium cooled valves, near indestructible if looked after, and all this before the Allegro had been thought of.
I do have a soft spot for the Audi 5 cyl engines, had a few old coupes, always a pleasure to wind up
p.s. even Clarkson rates Alfas V6
I do have a soft spot for the Audi 5 cyl engines, had a few old coupes, always a pleasure to wind up
p.s. even Clarkson rates Alfas V6
On Alfa engines...
I used to have a 33 with the 16v boxer engine. Truly fantastic. It made the most incredible noise, shook the whole car from side to side when you blipped the throttle and at 1.7l it outperformed the non-turbo Subaru flat 4. Finally, it was the most temperamental SOB I've ever encountered. Some days it ran a dream - others it would disable a cylinder for no reason. It either burbled, popped, farted or sang like an Angel and generally let everyone know what mood it was in. Once you got used to the power curve you could take on lots of more exotic machinery and win.
It was by far the most charismatic engine I've ever come across, and I would buy another of these vastly under-rated cars tomorrow if my wife would let me...
I used to have a 33 with the 16v boxer engine. Truly fantastic. It made the most incredible noise, shook the whole car from side to side when you blipped the throttle and at 1.7l it outperformed the non-turbo Subaru flat 4. Finally, it was the most temperamental SOB I've ever encountered. Some days it ran a dream - others it would disable a cylinder for no reason. It either burbled, popped, farted or sang like an Angel and generally let everyone know what mood it was in. Once you got used to the power curve you could take on lots of more exotic machinery and win.
It was by far the most charismatic engine I've ever come across, and I would buy another of these vastly under-rated cars tomorrow if my wife would let me...
Mate, it looks as if my 'station' Golf GTi is about to expire. Don't tempt me... If my wife caught me having this conversation she would cut off one of my testicles.
By the way - I managed to sell my immaculate 16v for £1k and that was three years ago - but there's always room for manouver. Also, does the 'new exhaust' involve a catalytic converter?
Go on then - what condition is it in... (you can email me off-line if you want to save the other gassers from this whimsy)
By the way - I managed to sell my immaculate 16v for £1k and that was three years ago - but there's always room for manouver. Also, does the 'new exhaust' involve a catalytic converter?
Go on then - what condition is it in... (you can email me off-line if you want to save the other gassers from this whimsy)
How about the 997cc engine out of the Ford Anglia??
Now before you collapse with laughter and give yourselves hernias, those of you that will never see 50 again will recall this was the engine that went into the Formula 3 cars of the late 60s.
An amazing engine that revved forever and you just couldn't bounce the valves (believe me I tried in my first company car - guess what - a Ford Anglia!
I had one in a racing Anglia (ex Broadspeed) that Holbay opened up to 1298cc for me so that we could mix it with the Cooper S brigade in tin-top racing in 1970/71. Thing had no torque but by God it screamed.
Had to put a 5 speed Hewland box with it to keep the revs up. Seemed to fall off the cam at less than 6000 revs.
Any-one else remember this engine? Better still, anyone remember the lone Red Anglia mixing it with about 30 Cooper S lunatics in the early 70's???
Now before you collapse with laughter and give yourselves hernias, those of you that will never see 50 again will recall this was the engine that went into the Formula 3 cars of the late 60s.
An amazing engine that revved forever and you just couldn't bounce the valves (believe me I tried in my first company car - guess what - a Ford Anglia!
I had one in a racing Anglia (ex Broadspeed) that Holbay opened up to 1298cc for me so that we could mix it with the Cooper S brigade in tin-top racing in 1970/71. Thing had no torque but by God it screamed.
Had to put a 5 speed Hewland box with it to keep the revs up. Seemed to fall off the cam at less than 6000 revs.
Any-one else remember this engine? Better still, anyone remember the lone Red Anglia mixing it with about 30 Cooper S lunatics in the early 70's???
CLINT887 said:
aledjones said: why not consider my allegro with a maxi 1750 and a mg metro turbo on it. Rover SD1 exhaust sytem and a dolomite overdrive 4 speed box.
i beat a crappy tvr tuscan today from the lights!
WE KNOW!!
How do you mate a rear wheel drive box to an engine designed to sit on top of the box and diff, or should I not even waste effort pondering on such ridiculous stuff. And why would you even bother
beljames said: On Alfa engines...
I used to have a 33 with the 16v boxer engine. Truly fantastic. It made the most incredible noise, shook the whole car from side to side when you blipped the throttle and at 1.7l it outperformed the non-turbo Subaru flat 4. Finally, it was the most temperamental SOB I've ever encountered. Some days it ran a dream - others it would disable a cylinder for no reason. It either burbled, popped, farted or sang like an Angel and generally let everyone know what mood it was in. Once you got used to the power curve you could take on lots of more exotic machinery and win.
It was by far the most charismatic engine I've ever come across, and I would buy another of these vastly under-rated cars tomorrow if my wife would let me...
First time I ever got a loan to buy a car, the first thing I looked at was a 33 Sportwagon. Everything I read siad 'don't buy one' so I didn't, but I have heard smilar stories to yours about the engine.
What did I buy? Errr... a Renault 25 GTX. And everything I ever read about it said 'don't buy one' but it was one of the nicest cars I've owned for some reasons (like the ability to cruise effortlessly at warp speed all the way to the South of France with a trailer tent on the back and all the family's kit in the boot) and a pig for others (like the crashy ride and the hot cabin in summer). You can buy 25s for beer money now, yet at one point they were France's (better) answer to the Granada. IMHO of course...
Ian
As much as the Rover V8 has been used... it pales in comparison to the Chevy small block V8. That engine has been used in many displacements and has seen action in everything from pick up trucks, granny's Chevy belair, to the muscle cars in the 60's. Some it's incarnations were: 267, 283, 327, 350, 400 (small block)
It was still being used in the Corvette until about a year or two ago (me think?) I think it has finally been replaced with a more modern version?
There have many many good engines, but if you are talking about longevity, then this is the one.
It was still being used in the Corvette until about a year or two ago (me think?) I think it has finally been replaced with a more modern version?
There have many many good engines, but if you are talking about longevity, then this is the one.
thirsty said: There have many many good engines, but if you are talking about longevity, then this is the one.
Yeah no kidding.
I heard somewhere that in all more than 50 million shortblocks were produced in total.
I always wondered where the ultima boys (and US drag racers) were able to source a seemingly unending supply of good engines from. But if 50 million were produced then it stands to reason that a few would still be kicking about.
Andy
camlifter said:
thirsty said:
Yes, but the engine is also a bit of a porker - like carrying Giant Haystacks in your bonnet. Maybe good in straight lines but needs more care around corners.
Oh, I dunno, the Ultima boys use them and they have cars that weigh in at less than a ton. And they handle.
Its the rest of the American car that is made of pig iron
Oh and crappo suspension doesn't help either.
Andy
Nominations for some V12s here.
Rolls Royce Merlin/Griffin agree, what a noise.
Then 2 V12s which are really mated straight 6's. The BMW McClaren engine (2 M straight 6's) and the TVR V12 (2 speed 6's).
Can't think of anything that would cost more to run than 2 speed 6's. Engine rebuild every 3,000 miles and probably new valves every 10 yards!
Rolls Royce Merlin/Griffin agree, what a noise.
Then 2 V12s which are really mated straight 6's. The BMW McClaren engine (2 M straight 6's) and the TVR V12 (2 speed 6's).
Can't think of anything that would cost more to run than 2 speed 6's. Engine rebuild every 3,000 miles and probably new valves every 10 yards!
CLINT887 said:
Griffithy said: The Oscar goes to:
Jaguar XK engine
Introduced in 1948 in the XK120 and used to power the most thrilling cars for quite some time.
Legendary wins in C- and D-types at Le Mans with nearly standard engines are history.
McNab knows, he is your man for that.
That engine was built far into the late eighties and was also used in fast tanks, power-boats, lorries etc...
Possibly the only 6-cylinder that sounds better than any with 8.
Sorry just my view
well here's mine. NO 6 pot sounds better than a tuned eight and no 8 sounds better than a tuned twelve.
No 6 sounds better than a tuned 8? I have to disagree. The TVR Speed Six sounds pretty good. I think it sounds better than either the Rover V8 or the AJP 8 they put in the Cerbera.
There's something about the sound of a straight six...
TVR's Speed Six
Jaguar's XK engine
BMW's straight six
Those are absolutely top-drawer engines.
donatien said: Nominations for some V12s here.
Rolls Royce Merlin/Griffin agree, what a noise.
Then 2 V12s which are really mated straight 6's. The BMW McClaren engine (2 M straight 6's) and the TVR V12 (2 speed 6's).
Can't think of anything that would cost more to run than 2 speed 6's. Engine rebuild every 3,000 miles and probably new valves every 10 yards!
I think I remember reading somewhere that the engine BMW designed for the McLaren was a clean-sheet design that has nothing in common with any other BMW-designed engine.
Can anyone confirm (or refute) this?
I imagine TVR's Speed 12 is an absolute corker.
Personally, I don't understand why anyone would buy a McLaren F1. If I had that kind of dough, I'd go straight to Blackpool and try to convince them to build me a V-12 Tuscan based on two 3.6L Speed Six engines on a common crank. It wouldn't put out the power of the original Speed Twelve engine but it shouldn't have any trouble matching the McLaren engine's power figures.
Plus, no offense to Mr. Stevens, but the Tuscan is a better looking car anyway. ;->
JonGwynne said:
I think I remember reading somewhere that the engine BMW designed for the McLaren was a clean-sheet design that has nothing in common with any other BMW-designed engine.
Can anyone confirm (or refute) this?
Yeah, can confirm - I have the McLaren F1 book at home and it goes into some detail about this. Still, the M3 engine is a peach anyway.
Had the pleasure of lining up behind a Vanquish the other day (I was near Lancaster in Reading and I think it was a test drive). What a noise!
Fortunately, I was in my 106, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hear it properly! Absolutely howls at high revs (the Vanquish that is!!!)
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