Q: Hello Greg and thanks for answering this question. What is your opinion of the Big Three’s most popular engines ever created, and the reasons why? I know this is a tough one, but we sure enjoy your columns down here in Florida. Thanks much, John S., Daytona Beach, FL.
A: John, I’ll give it my best shot, so let’s start with Ford.
Of all the great engines Ford has developed over the years, the original Ford Flathead V8 that appeared in mass production in 1932 is in my opinion the granddaddy of the Blue Oval Ford V8 developments. Until then, Ford had relied on inline-4 cylinder engines in its Model T that simply just didn’t deliver the power that the American car buyers were clamoring for.
Further, and being a fan of the movies like “Bonnie & Clyde” and more recently “Highway Men,” it was clear the Ford Flathead V8 offered over and above the horsepower needed to get down the road like never before.
The above mentioned movies included references to outlaw Clyde Barrow’s love of the Ford Flathead V8, which was able to outrun the police with ease unless, as portrayed in “Highway Men,” they were followed by an identical Flathead Ford V8 with 85-horsepower. Movies aside, Ford utilized the Flathead V8 all the way through 1953 in the U.S. and 1954 in Canadian Fords while the Lincoln featured Ford’s first overhead valve “Y-block” V8 in 1952.
Over its 22 years of use, the Flathead V8 was responsible for powering millions of Ford trucks and cars, debuting as a 221-inch version in ‘32. Through the years the Flathead V8 was as small as 136 inches, and growth spurts to 239, 255 and then topping out at 337 cubic inches in the ’49 Lincoln. Honorable Ford V8 mentions to the 289-302, Cleveland 351 and those legendary 427’s that dominated the NASCAR races for many years.
Now, on to General Motors.
This one is easy as in 1955 Chevrolet introduced its first ever “Turbo-Fire” V8, developed by Ed Cole and co-engineer Harry Barr and displacing 265 cubic inches. Soon after, Zora Arkus Duntov joined the duo and improved on the Cole/Barr design and Chevy was off to the races, literally.
Duntov’s upgrades included “Power Pack” cylinder heads, dual quad carburetors and fuel injection all of which made the Corvette a really fast sports car. Before you knew it, the original 265 grew to 283 in 1957, 327 in 1962 and then 350 by 1966.
This original small block “mouse” design would ultimately grow to 400 cubic inches prior to a re-design to an LS small block format in 1998.
With full respect to the 348/409/427 “W-head” and 366-396-402-454 Mark “rat” style Chevy big blocks, it was and always will be the small block Chevy that receives my vote as the most influential GM engine. The end result of this engine’s evolution is modern day small blocks that deliver 650-plus horsepower in the Corvette/Camaro/Cadillac lines.
A few tidbits about the lightweight 265 V8: it featured five main bearings, aluminum pistons, individual rocker arms and a forged steel crank that all contributed to high revs and reliability. Ed “Isky” Iskenderian told me at a Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis a few years ago that he and friend Bones Balough would rev an original 283 small block V8 to 9,000 RPM with his cam and lifters aboard. (Please don’t do this as Isky did note that it wasn’t making as much power at 9,000 RPM as at 7,500).
Over Chrysler way, its most influential “best engine” is clearly Chrysler’s 426 HEMI, introduced in 1951 model year as a 331-inch V8 with two gigantic valves per hemispherical cylinder design. Known as the Firepower V8, this HEMI design then appeared in the Dodge as a smaller Red Ram 241 and in DeSoto as a FireDome 276. These three early HEMIs were somewhat different in design and parts interchangeability was limited.
Things changed in 1954 when the 354 HEMI appeared followed by a 392 in 1957. The 354 was used in Chrysler, Imperial and Dodge, while the bigger 392 was specific to Chrysler and Imperial. However, these 392’s became the engine of choice for serious dragster owners until the 426 HEMI arrived in 1964.
Notable is that through all of the earlier HEMI offerings, 1964 was the first year Chrysler officially called its engine a HEMI. Additionally, the 1964 HEMI was strictly for use in NASCAR and drag racing and it was so powerful Richard Petty told the media that when he took his first laps at full speed on Daytona’s high banks, he slumped completely over on his right side due to the centrifugal force the high speed produced. Up until then, the seatbelts were just one lap belt, but not so after the HEMI. Utilizing a lap and shoulder harness, Petty went on to win that 1964 Daytona 500.
Later, and following a year of not competing in NASCAR when the latter deemed the HEMI unavailable to the public, the first commercially available 426 HEMIs arrived at dealer showrooms in 1966 in Dodge Coronet/Charger and Plymouth Satellite lines. All was well with NASCAR rules and Chrysler officially returned to NASCAR and Petty won the 1966 Daytona 500 in a Plymouth. Honorable mention goes to the 383-413-426-440 line of big-block wedge V8s and the 273-318-340-360 small block family.
There you have it, John and thanks for your question and letter.
(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions and comments on collector cars, auto nostalgia and motorsports at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840 or email at
[email protected])