Amazingly enough, back in the 1930s, Harry Miller's marine-intended four-pot ran a car up to 144 mph. When Miller went bankrupt, his employee, Fred Offenhauser continued to develop the engine and turned it into one of the most dominant, long-lived racing powerplants in history. The last Offy to turn a wheel in anger on the champ car circuit was in 1982, a 50-plus-year developmental history that resulted in what's simply the greatest-sounding, coolest-looking four-banger ever built. Click here for sound samples. Keep bathroom tissue and/or sanitary napkins handy.
Offenhauser [Wikipedia]
Related:
Harry Miller: Racing Visionary [Internal]