Just as Chevrolet had a prehistoric V8, so did BMW, with the aluminum-block, 90-degree engine used to power the BMW 502, 503, 507, and 3200 CS. Built from 1954 through 1965, the BMW OHV was available in displacements of 2.6 and 3.2 liters. Maximum horsepower output was 160. V8 fans had to wait nearly 30 years for BMW to return to the V8 layout.

[Wikipedia, Image source: USA Auto Parts]

Fiat is basing the 166, the sedan this image is being developed for, around the next-gen 300C. That not only means the 166 will finally be RWD, but also that it should be designed to pass US crash and emissions standards from the off. With Fiat eyeing Chrysler's US dealer network it's a logical assumption that Alfa, particularly its new larger sedan, will find its way here.

Autocar says to expect both naturally aspirated and twin-turbo versions of the engine, Alfa's first V8 since the Montreal died in 1977. [via Autocar]

Sure, sure, we could argue the benefits of pushrods versus overhead cams all day- and feel free to do so in the comments, where it's sure to be a battle between engine swappers versus engineering geeks- but the Official Jalopnik Party Line™ holds that all V8s are good, even the Olds 350 Diesel and the Triumph Stag V8 (though we draw the line at the execrable Cadillac V8-6-4, which is sort of an edge-case V8 anyway). Having hooned a couple of Audis powered by this engine (RS4 and R8) around the Infineon track, I can state that revving the absolute piss out of an engine that boasts serious torque (over 300 foot-pounds) along with 414 (or 420 horses) and glorious V8 noise is what it's all about. Variations of the 40-valve Audi V8 engine have found homes in engine compartments all over the VW/Audi product line, in everything from the Tuareg to the C5 RS6, with horsepower ranging from the low 300s to "how much money you got?"
[Wikipedia]

The FE was one of Ford's big sellers, manufactured from 1958 through 1976 and installed in millions of trucks, family sedans, wood-grained wagons, and U-joint-snappin', donuts-in-the-convenience-store-parking-lot Dearborn muscle. Best-known in its 352, 390, and 428 cubic inch incarnations, the FE (the acronym stood for "Ford-Edsel," trivia fans) also came in 332, 360, 361, 406, 410, and 427 cubic inch displacements. You European snobs dismissing the FE as "just another low-tech pushrod V8" can just climb back into your rusty Renault 15s and sputter off in a cloud of indignant oil smoke, because Ford built a SOHC version of the side-oiler 427 that made well over 600 horsepower... which, sadly, was never offered as an optional powerplant on the Country Squire.
[Wikipedia, Image source: SOHC427Ford.com]

The overhead-cam Dino family of engines has been with us since the first version- a 60° V6 displacing 1,984cc- debuted in 1958. Since that time, Ferrari has made the Dino in V6, V8, and V12 versions, with 60° and 65° vee angles, cast iron and aluminum block variations, turbocharged or naturally aspirated, and with single or double overhead camshafts- you name it, they've done it with the Dino. From the Fiat Dino to the Ferrari Enzo and Maserati MC12, the Dino looks to be on a run to challenge such engine lifers as the Toyota R and the small-block Chevrolet in the longevity competition.
[Wikipedia]

Say what you will about Detroit's primitive suspensions and iffy build quality during the postwar period, but there's no denying that The General cranked out inexpensive, reliable, and powerful pushrod V8s by the tens of millions. We've honored the Buick 215 aka Rover V8, the Buick Nailhead, the Cadillac OHV, the Pontiac V8, and the Small-Block Chevrolet so far in this series, and today it's the turn of the Olds V8s built during the 1964-1990 period (yes, we'll eventually get to the big-block Chevy and the others, so be patient). Starting with the 330-cubic-inch Jetfire Rocket, this engine family (technically split into "small-block" and "big-block" categories based on deck height, but otherwise the same) included the axle-snapping 455 that powered the '70 442, countless 350s and 400s that were stuffed inside Cutlasses, and the 403, which was stuffed into just about every GM vehicle that would hold still on the assembly line. The "6.6 Litre" engines in the Malaise Trans Ams were Olds 403s… and we'd say that perhaps that engine is best forgotten, but we're saving that distinction for the ill-fated diesel version of the 350. I had a purple '69 Cutlass with the (gas) 350 for a regrettably brief, donuts-on-your-lawn period in my teens, and I think I turned more cheap tires into black marks on the pavement with this engine than with any other. Hooray for torque!

[Wikipedia, 442.com; Image source: Fotki]

The Maserati-powered Model T definitely made an impression at the last Billetproof Nor-Cal, which is totally understandable. After all, the [flawless Model A, B, or T] + [Chevy or Ford OHV V8] formula has been done so often and so well that you need a body machined from pure plutonium to really stand out these days, while the [rusty-ass ancient non-Ford] + [weird yet hypnotically cool engine] formula still offers plenty of fun for each pint of blood you spill in the Hell Garage. Tonight, we're going to look at a total of nine possible vehicle+engine combos, any one of which would draw vast crowds of Bettie Page lookalikes at the next Billetproof. Hear the rusty iron doors of the Hell Garage swinging open for you? Once closed, they'll be welded shut until you're done... or insane!

Every time I see the amazing DOTS '47 Plymouth rumbling through my neighborhood, I realize anew that old suicide-door Plymouth sedans let you roll in the purest Hell Garage style. Affordable examples are quite easy to find in diamond-in-the-rough condition, too. Say f'r'example, this 1937 Plymouth sedan, which has a no-doubt-negotiable $1,000 price tag. The patina is already perfect, and the "toast" interior should be viewed as an opportunity to commission a special burlap-and-studded-pleather extravaganza!

It's tough to argue with the appeal of a 62-year-old sedan, but an elderly pickup made by a farm equipment manufacturer might make you forget all about that Plymouth. This '38 IHC pickup, which has been sitting in an Iowa field since Syngman Rhee was in office, has the perfect paint finish for Billetproof stardom, though we're not sure that "no bullet holes" is really a selling point. No matter, though- you can always make your own bullet holes!

Sedans? Trucks? Don't forget station wagons! Sure, you'd like a two-door wagon, and a Ford Ranch Wagon would be an excellent choice... but even that might veer uncomfortably close to the overchromed aesthetic behind those hyper-sanitary Chevy Nomads we see at mainstream car shows. Don't worry, because LeMons Rabbit racer Casadelshawn has tipped us off about this Opel Olympia Caravan, which is priced right in LeMons territory... which isn't relevant, because you know that mini-Euro-Nomad will be just the car to receive the engine of your deepest fears dreams! And, speaking of engines...

Now that you've picked out your chassis, what would you say to a 317-horse, DOHC/4-valve aluminum V8 that should be making good power until the Sun goes supernova? You can get this Nissan VK56DE out of a Nissan Titan pickup for well under two grand, though you'll need to spend many a few more bucks setting it up with an octet of Weber carbs and some sort of transmission.

A Nissan 5.6 liter V8 would be fun, but imagine all the wild Teutonic Maltese-cross decor you could put on your Opel, Plymouth, or IHC if you were to drop a Mercedes-Benz 5.6 liter V8 into the engine compartment? An M117, freshly torn from the still-twitching corpse of a big ol' Cocaine Dealer Grade 560SEL, would be just the ticket, and here's a 69,000-mile specimen for a mere 710 bucks! You'll need to ditch that irritatingly modern fuel-injection system and replace it with some carburetors, of course, and we recommend a homemade pipe-organ-style intake manifold made from galvanized plumbing fittings and sucking fuel from as many updraft Cessna carburetors as you can obtain. Then you'll start your junkyard quest for a functional junkyard transmission. How hard could it be?

Is there some rule that states you've got to have a V8? No? Well, how about one of GM's coolest engines ever, a high-performance inline six that struggled to get attention while in the shadow of big-inch monster V8s during the Muscle Car Golden Age? Yes, we mean the Pontiac OHC six-cylinder, which was a Chevrolet 230 or 250 six equipped with a futuristic (for 1960s Detroit) belt-driven overhead-cam cylinder head. The high-performance Sprint version, installed in regrettably few Firebirds and Tempests, could hold its own against V8s with vastly more displacement... but real Sprints are hard to find. No problem, though, because you can build your own Sprint from this Pontiac OHC 250, which is sitting with a top bid of just 150 bucks.

Ready to decide? Let's vote!

Some snide Detroit-bashers claim that beads of petroleum byproducts sweat from the plastic of The General's more economical interior components, and then there's all that pesky financial mismanagement and bureaucratic inertia to get 'em hooting and pointing fingers in derision… but nobody laughs at, say, the 638-horsepower LS9, a staggeringly powerful yet compact engine that fits handily inside cramped engine compartments. The aluminum-block, six-bolt-main LS has been around since 1997 and has been factory-installed in everything from the Cadillac CTS-V to the Saab 9-7X. Displacement of the LS series ranges from 5.3 to 7.0 liters (and bigger, if you want to get a race-only factory crate motor), and about the only bad thing we can say about it is that GM couldn't think up a new designation for the engine, recycling the names of totally unrelated early-70s engines such as the LS4 and LS6; come on, letters and numbers are free! And hey, you can even drop one into a Miata!
[Wikipedia] Photo source: Zorly.com

These ultra-modern dynamic test benches at AMG can accommodate engines with an output of more than 735 kW/1000 hp. The 6.3-liter V8 that's under the hood of the SLS is only half that, so it can take the pressure. Here's some more photos if you're interested. Frankly, who wouldn't be?

Morgan’s new car had its first official day out at the Villa d’Este in April as part of the new car competition at the Concorso d’Eleganza. Based on last year’s AeroMax coupé, the SuperSports is built on the same ash bonded aluminum frame and powered by the same gorgeous 367 HP Bavarian V8, messerschmitting its way through quad sidepipes. Morgan has published a wealth of images about the car, yet failed to include one of its coolest feature: leather straps tucked in behind the passenger compartment for holding booze.

Although Charles Morgan’s quote in the company press release certainly hints at things:

The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a luxurious flamboyant sports car which also remains true to Morgan’s philosophy of lightweight minimalist simplicity. It is a celebration of our love of cars and the romance of travel and is a fitting model to announce during Morgan’s Centenary year.

The romance of travel! Their lightweight convertible will top out at 170 MPH, which must make for quite a challenge in popping and pouring champagne. Still—it is refreshing to see a car company embrace the decadent side of life. Fortunate for them that they don’t happen to be based in the United States: the federal warning labels would blot out the sun. And you certainly don’t want that to happen in a handbuilt convertible, now, do you?

Photos by the author.

Lotus has been in bed with Toyota for a number of years now, with their 1.8-liter four, in various forms, powering the Elise and Exige as well as the 3.5-liter V6 powering the new Evora. Apparently there's no reason to stop now and EVO is reporting that the 2012 Lotus Esprit will receive both the 200+ mph capable, 4.8-liter 500-horsepower V10 from the Lexus LF-A as well as the 5.0-liter, 417-horsepower V8 out of the Lexus IS-F. Packing these two engines, the Lotus Esprit will compete head-to-nasty-head with both the Lamborghini LP560-4 and the Audi R8, putting it instantly into a fairly competitive dog fight. There's even rumor that an entry-level model might make an appearance with the 300-horsepower direct-injection Toyota V6, though we're curious if that'll bite into Evora sales.

In addition to a couple of fire-breathing monster engines, it's rumored that Lotus is continuing its work on creating 'Eco' variants of its cars which is headlined by its collaborative efforts with silicon valley-based electric wonder boys, Tesla. Will we see a hybrid or electric Esprit? It's well within the realm of possibility and seems to be a pretty cool idea so long as its biased towards the sporty end of the market and not smug Hollywood playboys as with the Tesla Roadster.

The long-coming next-gen Lotus Esprit seems to be shaping up if you're to believe these rumors, but as these things usually go, we're not holding our breath. [via EVO]

Of course the secret to the Ariel Atom 500's performance isn't its RS Performance 10,000 RPM 2.4-liter V8, but rather its 500kg weight. At just 1,102 Lbs, it's roughly 1/4 the weight of the 4,160 Lbs Veyron while making slightly less than half that hypercar's power.

The added cost of the Atom 500 over its lesser siblings is largely down to the $48,000 engine and the $17,500 six-speed sequential gearbox, but it also gains Alcon brakes, Dymag wheels, and numerous carbon fiber aero-aids designed to boost both performance and exclusivity. [via Autocar]

In January of 1981, my parents packed up their possessions—which included a 5-month-old kid yet to become a car boy—and set out west from the Hungarian city of Szeged to fly all the way to Washington, D.C. We were people from the satellite of an evil empire yet welcomed kindly, in spite of the total sum of 25 American dollars burning a hole in my parents’ pockets, the maximum amount allowed for export by the Communist state when you left the country.

I have no memories. We settled in the Maryland suburb of Rockville, I was sent to a municipal pool to float with American neonates and my dad went to work at the National Cancer Institute to probe the secret life of bacteria.

Then we got a car.

It was a first generation Oldsmobile Omega, as identified by Murilee over iChat, a compact car which has transformed into a proper land yacht in the recollection of my parents. I have no memories of the car. It was a sickly shade of yellow and judging by the only photographic evidence which remains, I rather liked it. So did my dad, who hates cars with a vengeance.

The leviathan Oldsmobile took us scrappy Hungarians all the way up and down the East Coast, it took us to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina where I saw the ocean for the first time in my life. I have no memories of this event, only my mom’s story—usually told with a grin—that the muscular Atlantic waves knocked my dad clear off his knees with me sitting on his neck, sending us both into the surf. We survived.

There are no Oldsmobiles in Hungary, save for a few derelict 88’s slowly melting into the tarmac. In fact, most people with no knowledge of American cars tend to think that oldsmobile is simply an English term for a veteran automobile. I know it’s not.

We came back to Hungary in the summer of ‘82, the Oldsmobile was sold off to a friend, and my first memories would not stick for another year: a single image, lying delirious from a stomach bug in a tent by a swollen, raging river. I have no idea what my furiously developing toddler brain made of the Omega. I don’t even know if it had a V8. Although I guess it did. What else would explain the love affair with the lazy rumble of crossplane V8’s, alien to the European continent.

My family would acquire other Oldsmobiles on later stays in the US. My dad still has an Oldsmobile badge on his keyfob. I recall Oldsmobile’s death from a few years back. And now General Motors has gone bankrupt.

You all have clear memories of American cars. I do not. I can only point your way to P. J. O’Rourke’s elegy in the Wall Street Journal:

In 1970 a Pontiac GTO (may the brand name rest in peace) had horsepower to the number of 370. In the time of one minute, for the space of one foot, it could move 12,210,000 pounds. And it could move those pounds down every foot of every mile of all the roads to the ends of the earth for every minute of every hour until the driver nodded off at the wheel. Forty years ago the pimply kid down the block, using $3,500 in saved-up soda-jerking money, procured might and main beyond the wildest dreams of Genghis Khan, whose hordes went forth to pillage mounted upon less oomph than is in a modern leaf blower.

Goodbye then, Oldsmobile Omega, goodbye.

Photo Credit: László Orosz

The single-overhead-camshaft M100 started out in 1963 with a displacement of 6.3 liters, or about 384 cubic inches, but that's not the engine we talk about when we're on the subject of the M100. No, it's the powerplant used in the mighty 450SEL 6.9 that we refer to here. You got sodium-filled valves, a dry-sump oiling system, and more than 400 foot-pounds-o-torque with the 6.9… and those of you on a budget can find a totally affordable 6.9!

[Wikipedia]

You could also get the 385- so called, apparently, because of the 3.85" stroke in the 460- in 370- and 514-cube displacements (though the former was for trucks only and the latter was an SVO crate engine). The 385 enjoyed a nearly three-decade production run, starting in 1968, and powered countless LTDs, Country Squires, Torinos, Cyclones, big trucks, and- of course- the Boss 429 Mustang. It's no sweat to find 460s cheap in the junkyard these days (thanks to all the Malaise Continentals and Thunderbirds), so the Ford freaks can still build seriously hairy drag race machines on a budget.
[Wikipedia, Popular Hot Rodding]

There is no way to get used to the size of Ferrari’s 612 Scaglietti. While most Ferraris—indeed, most supercars—tend to be larger in life than imagined, the Scag is a monster. Longer than a Mercedes-Benz E-Class and wider than an S-Class, it is the size and shape of a ballistic missile, especially in dark gray.

The size is a direct consequence of the car’s dual functions of high-speed handling and four-person capacity. Inside are four bucket seats intended to carry in comfort four actual people with eight lower extremities. This is unlike most 2+2’s where the comfortable ratio of humans and legs tends to be an unevenly distributed one to one. And while—unlike the Espada’s very comfortable rear seats—I have never had the opportunity to actually sit in a 612, those who have describe the rear seats as up to the task.

The other factor in the 612’s immense length is the engine, which is mid-mounted. But unlike with the traditional mid-engined layout—where the engine is between the cabin and the rear axle—the Scag’s 5.7-liter V12 sits low behind the front axle, similar to the supercharged V8 in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. And like the SLR, the 612 has a nose—or substitute your favorite metaphor based on human anatomy—any self-respecting Frenchman would be proud of.

Mounting an engine midships is done to reduce weight in a car’s extremities, lowering its moment of inertia. This comes in handy when you take a corner fast, so I called Nino Karotta, the only person I know who has actually driven a 612 Scaglietti (if you’ll remember, Nino was the guy who showed us how to become a Formula One driver in one day).

The 612 he drove was in an environment rather alien to a leviathan GT—the Hungaroring, a racetrack in a dusty valley on the outskirts of Budapest, home to the Hungarian Grand Prix. He described the experience as similar to what happens when you take any very powerful but heavy car to a track. That while it’s very fast, capable of huge powerslides and much better composed than, say, a large V12 Benz, it is ultimately too soft and too heavy for proper track work. Unlike, he said, the Ferrari 599 GTB, which he drove on the same day and described as a sharp, violent track animal.

We had better find a more suitable environment for the 612 then. And remember: we’re looking for family use here. So let’s head to Regent’s Park, 487 acres of Central London flanked by white stucco houses where rich people live and exercise.

While Central London is perhaps not the perfect location to strecth a 550 HP grand tourer’s legs, nothing beats it when it comes to arriving home. The car is understated, elegant, majestic, no Italian waving of hands apparent in its flowing lines, inspired by a one-off Ferrari 375 MM its namesake Sergio Scaglietti created in 1954 for Italian neorealist film director Roberto Rossellini’s wife Ingrid Bergman.

An elderly couple then arrive in a Citroën C3—this is a very small French car—and maneuver into the space in front of the Ferrari.

They turn out to be the parents of the Ferrari’s owner, a dapper man who has by this time emerged from his house. My mate Máté and I are soon in the midst of a family cavalcade, admiring the lovely Ferrari.

Also in tow is a young girl, Orelia by name, who climbs down from her grandmother’s neck. This is it then: a real, live kid who actually rides in the back of a Ferrari! Our conversation as I remember it:

“Hi Orelia, my name is Peter.”

“Hi Peter.”

“So how is it riding in a Ferrari’s back seats?”

“It’s great. I sit there with my two sisters.”

Roominess? Check!

“And when you go for a ride, do you go real fast?”

Substituting for words, she offers a huge, jubilant nod. We wave our goodbyes. A few steps later, her father reaches down to pick a white strand of thread out of the Pininfarina logo on the left fender.

Gentlemen, a Jalopnik midlife plan is emerging here. Make a quarter million bucks, get a Scaglietti and a fine woman, sire children, then transport them in style and at speed.

And if you have dogs (or elephant guns), go get that Maserati Quattroporte wagon.

Photo Credit: Balázs Fenyő (Ferrari 599 GTB), Máté Petrány and the author (612 Scaglietti)

The thinking behind the name change is that the Mercedes range has simply grown too diverse, bewildering suburbanites from New Jersey and Florida who, inexplicably, can afford to shop in a Mercedes dealership despite lacking the mental acuity to understand the naming convention of what they're buying. The original CLK name was meant to reference the fancy CL coupe, just like the SLK was a small, cheaper, more permed take on the SL roadster. Mercedes wanted to make sure buyers are able to comprehend that this new car uses more E- than C-Class components, hence the E-Class Coupe designation.

Mercedes says the ratio of E-Class parts to "other Mercedes-Benz products" in the Coupe is about 60:40. They're happy to detail which parts are shared with E — the suspension, engines, looks and all the advanced safety features — but don't want to say where the other 40% comes from. Since the E-Class Coupe shares the C-Class's 108.7-inch wheelbase and minor interior parts, we're going to go out on a limb and say that's where the 40% originates.

That's kind of a shame, because the E-Class Coupe is noticeably less engaging to drive than the 2010 Mercedes E-Class Sedan. That's not to say it isn't competent, it's much more so than the old CLK and even the twistiest of mountain roads above Las Vegas fail to fluster it. Corners are taken with virtually no body roll, steered into with accuracy and exited with plenty of thrust from either the 268 HP 3.5-liter V6 or 382 HP 5.5-liter V8. It also hits the 130 MPH speed limiter in a picture of composure, it'd be happy there all day. It's just that none of those activities are in any way fun. You kind of get the feeling that if you're lulled into sleep by the coffin-quiet interior, the Attention Assist will conspire with the adaptive shocks, Distronic Plus with Pre-Safe Brake radar cruise control and Parktronic with Parking Guidance automatic parallel parking system to drive you home and tuck you into bed.

Of course this E-Class Coupe wasn't designed for irresponsible young hoons like me, but rather the irritatingly useless real housewives of a reality show near you. They'll go gaga over the seriously handsome new looks, including the Mercedes SLS-like grille and, since their husbands will almost certainly spec the upmarket interior, the nice pleated leather door and contrast-stitched leather seats too. They'll also love the new brushed aluminum and wood trim, the heavily contoured buckets front and rear and the very fashion conscious choice of chocolate brown plastic on the dash. In fact, they'll be so busy focusing on the bling - chromed seat handles and door jambs, pillarless windows - that they won't notice the distinctly C-Class plastics employed on the air vents, button surrounds and center console.

Constantly running late to hair appointments and charity galas, they'll prefer the V8's 391 Lb-Ft of torque that's delivered instantly anywhere in the rev range, but not the less imposing 258 Lb-Ft of the V6 since they'd have to work that engine using the manual override paddles located on the steering wheel. Doing that would likely require far too much attention, something that's reserved for cell phone conversations and molly coddling small animals, not for driving. The V8's 5.0 second 0-60 time will come in handy fleeing imagined paparazzi much better than the V6's 6.2 seconds.

It's unlikely that it'll ever be used, but the E550 also incorporates Dynamic Handling Suspension as standard. Click a cheapish button on the dash marked "Sport" and the suspension firms up noticeably, throttle response sharpens and revs are held longer. Revving the V8 results in a delightfully antisocial exhaust note from the squared off pipes.

Husbands that live by the motto, "Happy wife, happy life," will also like the new E-Class Coupe. The E350 starts at $48,050, $50 cheaper than the CLK350, while it gains a host of standard features: full-length sunroof, Comand display, driver knee airbag, pelvic airbags, Bluetooth, Agility Control and Attention Assist. The E550 starts at $54,650.

Unlike the E-Class Sedan, there's no plans to offer either a diesel or AMG version. That lack of an E63 AMG Coupe is perhaps most damning. Asked why, a Mercedes engineer responded, "Drive the V8 and tell us if you think there's a need for the AMG." Well, we've driven it and we don't think the E-Class Coupe merits a performance version. It's a very nice luxury car and a quite a looker, just not a driver's car.