Thread: Jeep with 470hp hemi

I don't think Land Rover had a drivetrain, or the money to develop one capable of handling more torque or power when the V8 was introduced. Wasn't the RRC constant four wheel drive to split the load on the weak diffs?

Originally Posted by bobslandies

The BOP engine was being scrapped because of too many problems in favour of lighter weight cast iron V8 and V6 motors anyway. As in 3.8 Commodore V6.

Bob

The alloy engine was developed by GM as the steel manufacturers were charging exorbitant prices. Ford had their own steel mills. GM were having issues with the alloy engines so when the price of steel was dropped GM sold Rover the rights to the alloy unit. Rover further developed the engine before release. I'm sure if there was a market for a greater capacity Rover would have persued that avenue. Back in the '70s and indeed still to this day, 3500 cc is considered a large displacement in Europe, then Land Rover's primary market.

Yes, they never would have sold the giant American horsepower you guys are talking about. And can you imagine little Rover Ltd, always stretched for cash, developing an entire drivetrain to deal with it?

You can read reviews of how fast and powerful the 3.5 was at the time. Not everyone wants a supercharger on their lawnmower and the V8 was perfectly fine for its intended purpose - at the time. Expectations have changed just a bit since the late '60s.

you also need to keep in mind that the original rover v8 was never intended to be a performance donk power output was traded for survivability and long term "just keep running enough to get me home"

once you design a pigs ear its very hard to turn it into a silk purse BUT if what you need at the time is a pigs ear then your set. IMHO, they should have dropped the v8 in its form after the later EFI models and done a complete redesign OR got the damn thing to work properly in its iceberg configuration.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

When I started the thread I was thinking only of real Land
Rovers, not Discovery or Range Rover, neither of which hold much interest for me.

But THAT Jeep is not a real Jeep. They can't go off road and can barely deal with a dirt road.

The alloy V8 was purchased from GM's Buick division to go into the then proposed Gun Tractor required by the British MOD,which became the 101,it was then made optional in the P6 Rover Sedan as the P6B then into the under development Range Rover,as the side/overhead 6 cylinder motor in 2.6 litre form was gutless.

One must remember that at the time in UK vehicles were taxed (regoed) on Horse Power,not on cylinders as in some Australian States.

They sell kits in the USA to put the Hemi into the Wranglers.

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

you also need to keep in mind that the original rover v8 was never intended to be a performance donk power output was traded for survivability and long term "just keep running enough to get me home"

once you design a pigs ear its very hard to turn it into a silk purse BUT if what you need at the time is a pigs ear then your set. IMHO, they should have dropped the v8 in its form after the later EFI models and done a complete redesign OR got the damn thing to work properly in its iceberg configuration.

That's what makes me laugh, all this criticism just because it's a V8. Back then, V8s were used as truck engines and for all sorts of things. (Wasn't the Bren gun carrier a V8?). It wasn't put in the Range Rover to turn it into a speed monster, but because that's what was available.