Did TVR ever do a straight 8 engine?

[tonyhetherington]

as per title.

Having a discussion with a colleague of mine (a very knowledgable one, this isn't a competiton bet type question!) and we were talking about the size of straight six engines. He then said he recalls years ago that TVR experimented with a straight 8.

Any ideas / info!?

Thanks all
Tony

[kevinday]

Don't think so.

[Painey]

Sounds like he's maybe getting confused with the Speed 8 prototype model shown at the motor show some years ago?? Haven't EVER heard of a straight/in-line 8 cyl engine although it must have been done at some point.

[pss1]

Painey said:

Sounds like he's maybe getting confused with the Speed 8 prototype model shown at the motor show some years ago?? Haven't EVER heard of a straight/in-line 8 cyl engine although it must have been done at some point.

Bugatti did a few straight eights in the 1920's IIRC. Damn huge though, need a bonnet the size of Italy!

[Plotloss]

Bentley had a rather succesful time with Straight 8's didnt they?

[tonyhetherington]

Cheers guys - I'll have a little hunt around those marques on the 'net.

[19560]

pss1 said:

Painey said: Haven't EVER heard of a straight/in-line 8 cyl engine although it must have been done at some point. Bugatti did a few straight eights in the 1920's IIRC. Damn huge though, need a bonnet the size of Italy!

Alvis won their class at LeMans in the 1920s beating the Astons with a 1.5 litre, supercharged, front wheel drive, straight eight!

[wintrading]

Alfa Monza classic racing car has straight 8 with a blower on it.

[Nick P]

I know my Chimaera has a 'twin straight 4' engine

[tvrgaas]

tonyhetherington said:

He then said he recalls years ago that TVR experimented with a straight 8.

I thought there were all sorts of rumours with the AJP modular concept - The V10 was spoken of at one time, perhaps to go back to the AJP-V8 parent.
www.mcdeng.co.uk/html/v10.html

pss1 said:

Bugatti did a few straight eights in the 1920's IIRC. Damn huge though, need a bonnet the size of Italy!

Royale is huge, the T35 is a nice size. www.bugatti.co.uk/trust/car-data/35-35b-35c-35t.html

19560 said:

Alvis won their class at LeMans in the 1920s beating the Astons with a 1.5 litre, supercharged, front wheel drive, straight eight!

I thought in 1928 it was a 4 pot and the 8 pots were in the later GP cars. www.maisonblanche.co.uk/shop/en-us/dept_205.html www.alvisoc.org/Site%20Files/Alvis%20Cars/Competition%20History.htm

Plotloss said:

Bentley had a rather succesful time with Straight 8's didnt they?

8litre - 6cyls? The success was with the 3, 41/2 and Speed-6.
www.rrab.com/b8ltr.htm

wintrading said:

Alfa Monza has straight 8 with a blower on it.

8C Alfa Lovely car. www.rickcarey.com/Catalog%20Descriptions/RM_Amelia_02_%20Monza_2211125.htm

[bjwoods]

There was a show 'tvr concept' car at the 90 motorshow (same as Griffith first seen) called the speed 8... BUt it was definetly a V8. Not much interest cf the griff, so did not get built.

B

[Andrew Noakes]

Plotloss said:

Bentley had a rather succesful time with Straight 8's didnt they?

The 1930s Bentleys were straight fours and sixes - the biggest of which was an 8.0-litre.

The all-conquering Mercedes 300SLR W196 of 1955 was a straight eight, with power take-off in the middle so it was effectively a pair of in-line fours back to back.

[DJC]

Andrew Noakes said:

Plotloss said: Bentley had a rather succesful time with Straight 8's didnt they? The 1930s Bentleys were straight fours and sixes - the biggest of which was an 8.0-litre. The all-conquering Mercedes 300SLR W196 of 1955 was a straight eight, with power take-off in the middle so it was effectively a pair of in-line fours back to back.

Aye the last straight 8's I know of were the Merces ironically called the Bent 8's because they were offset at an angle as I recall.

[Roy C]

1927 Straight Eight Delage (1.5 litres) in which Dick Seaman made his name by beating everbody else although the (reworked) car was 9 years old in 1936.