V8 engine
To reduce the vibrations caused by the unbalanced 60-degree V-angle, the Volvo engines used a balance shaft and offset split crankpins.
The rumbling exhaust sound produced by a typical cross-plane V8 engine is partly due to the uneven firing order within each of the two banks of four cylinders.
A usual 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 typically associated with V8 engines.
However, racing engines seek to avoid these uneven exhaust pressure pulses to maximize the power output.
[3][19] This engine was built in the United States and was greatly assisted by Cadillac's pioneering use of electric starter motors.
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).
V8 engines have dominated American premier stock car racing NASCAR series since its inaugural 1949 season.
However, there wasn't a strict ruleset to follow until the 1972 season, when engines were no longer allowed to be any bigger than 358 cu in (5.9 L) for the purpose of reducing speeds caused by the rapid aerodynamic advancements from 1969 to 1971.
In the American Top Fuel class of drag racing, V8 engines displacing 500 cu in (8 L) today produce outputs of over 7,000 kW (10,000 hp).
[38] The 1934–1938 Tatra 77 rear-engined sedan was initially powered by 3.0 L (183 cu in) petrol V8, which was air-cooled and used an overhead camshaft that operated the valves using a 'walking beam' rocker arrangement.
[41] The 2007–2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione / Spider sports cars are powered by a 4.7 L (290 cu in) version of the Ferrari F136 engine with a cross-plane crankshaft.
The engines ranged in displacement from 2.6–4.6 L (159–281 cu in) and used unusually narrow V-angles of 14 to 24 degrees with a single overhead camshaft.
[43] Fiat also began production of V8 diesel truck engines for the 1975 Des-8280,[44] initially in the naturally aspirated form before switching to turbocharging in the mid-1980s.
Honda has never produced V8 engines for passenger vehicles, although they did experiment with a CVCC V8 sportscar project until it was cancelled as a result of the 1973 Fuel Crisis.
The engine was a 3.0–3.5 L (183–214 cu in) all-aluminium V8 with double-overhead camshafts, with a power output of 650 hp (485 kW; 659 PS) and a 10,500 rpm redline.
[48] The 2006–2008 Honda Racing F1 Team used 2.4 L V8 engines, which produced around 560–580 kW (750–775 hp) at 19,000 rpm, as mandated by Formula One regulations.
Production of V8-engined Aston Martin cars resumed in 2005 with a new generation of the Vantage, powered by the Jaguar AJ-V8 naturally aspirated V8 engine.
This engine has an iron block, an alloy cylinder head, and a pushrod drivetrain that was built in displacements of 2.5–4.5 L (153–275 cu in).
[64] 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 5.1 L (314 cu in).
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.
The Flathead V8 reduced production costs by using a monobloc (or "en bloc") construction, where each cylinder bank is made from a single piece of cast metal.
[71] 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.
The 1905 version of the Antoinette engine produced 37 kW (50 hp) with 86 kg (190 lb) of weight (including cooling water), resulting in a power-to-weight ratio that was not surpassed for 25 years.
During World War One, V8 aircraft engines included the French Renault 8G, the Spanish Hispano-Suiza 8, the British Sunbeam Arab, and the American Curtiss OX-5.
[93] By 1922, the versions incorporated improvements by Wright Aeronautical and was considered the lightest and most efficient pursuit engine in the world.
One of the few remaining V8 airplane engines by World War Two was the German Argus As 10 inverted V8, which was air-cooled and used in several trainers and small utility aircraft.
[95] In addition to gasoline fuel, several marine diesel V8 engines have been produced by companies such as Brons, Scania, and Yanmar.
[98] The engine is mostly the same as for automobile applications, with changes to freeze plugs and cam profiles (to reduce top rpm), and well as positive displacement pump to cool each cylinder bank separately and evenly.
In the 1970s, AMC's 5.9, 6.4, and 6.6 L (360, 390, and 401 cu in) V8 engines were also available as marine versions, with most fitted to jet drive boats for water skiing.
