Thread: Stunning engines from USA after-market

wow, now this is an engine.... or something from startrek??? not quite sure. Very cool

That is a copy of a Novi engine for the Indianapolis 500, not sure if it is reduced scale. The Novi had a big aftercooler on top of the V. The Novi was made by Offenhauser for Lew Welch, and the Winfields, Lou and Bud, had much input into the design with Leo Goossen. Bud Winfield, Pete Clark, Tony Morosco,Marvin Jenkins, and Lew Welch did the initial assembly and preparation.

Reputed to put out 700+ horsepower from about 2.5 litres of centrifugally supercharged V8.

It's always had me buggered why a country that can produce such good engines and has such a good manufacturing base can't for the life of them build just one decent car. Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

It's always had me buggered why a country that can produce such good engines and has such a good manufacturing base can't for the life of them build just one decent car. Pat

Well.... now they have Land Rover, they have a chance right I hope so Or we'll all be rebuilding the old ones for ever.

Originally Posted by PAT303

It's always had me buggered why a country that can produce such good engines and has such a good manufacturing base can't for the life of them build just one decent car. Pat

They're probably no good to drive round corners, but I'd still have one of these:



Tim

Originally Posted by PAT303

It's always had me buggered why a country that can produce such good engines and has such a good manufacturing base can't for the life of them build just one decent car. Pat

They build cars for their own market and marketplace. Big cars for a big country and generally big people with incomes that are the envy of the rest of the world. They have good roads so don't need sports car handling. They prefer soft ride. If not for political interference with vehicle design Americans by choice would still be driving big six seater sedans. Cars are cheap and reliable there. Where else in the world do you see 5-8 year old world class luxury cars like Cadillacs and Lincolns dumped at roadside?

Have you spent time there and driven American cars in America? Until you have don't spout the drivel written by anti-American motoring journalists who have only literary qualifications, if any, and no technical training whatsoever.

Check the numbers they build and sell. Chevrolet was building 10,000 small block engines a day and various GM divisions were building 7,000 cast iron derivatives of the Buick V6 per day. This is the engine family that became the Rover V8.

Do you know how many aluminium V8's Rover built in the last 40+ years? I don't, but I can tell you that GM built 180,000 of them in 4 1/2 years before abandoning the engine to market forces and the fact that it was slow and expensive to make. A wood duck called Rover produced a cheque book and bought it. Then found they could not make it on their forty year old plant and had to redesign the engine to do so.

Historically look at the advances that came out of the US motor industry. High tension ignition, starter motors, syncromesh, power steering, unit construction, automatic transmissions, Delco electronic management is used by nearly all modern manufacturers or items made under licence to Delco, first use of alternators in mass produced vehicles and so on. Buick and its distributorless ignition in 1980. first turbocharged mass produced petrol engines, etc.

Then have a look at heavy trucks. US power trains dominate, & the Euro manufacturers were forced to use or to mimic. Daimler-Benz bought Detroit Diesel and now are about to refuse sales of the 60 Series engine to other manufacturers it is so good.

Small marine engine users still lament the demise of the Detroit Diesel two stroke and keep them going with after market parts and plan to do so for ever.

Originally Posted by TimNZ

They're probably no good to drive round corners, but I'd still have one of these:



Tim

I had a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible with 426 Hemi and four speed. Sold it in 1975 when I got married to buy furniture, white goods etc. Never was beaten to 130 mph by anything. It still had plenty left at that speed but a stock convertible body without aerodynamic aids got a bit floaty and non-directional then.

They are now worth approaching $500,000. I recently calculated I had sold at today's prices $10,000,000 of high performance and classic cars before I was 35. Bugger.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I had a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible with 426 Hemi and four speed. Sold it in 1975 when I got married to buy furniture, white goods etc. Never was beaten to 130 mph by anything. It still had plenty left at that speed but a stock convertible body without aerodynamic aids got a bit floaty and non-directional then.

They are now worth approaching $500,000. I recently calculated I had sold at today's prices $10,000,000 of high performance and classic cars before I was 35. Bugger.

Some times its best not to think too much about things like that!!