Re: V-8 engine design flaws

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2010/1/25 13:30:21

"Is the engine in a Ferrari that requires $60 a quart oil and oil changes every 3000 miles on the dot, and costs more in maintenance a year than it costs to buy a new Honda better than the engine in the Honda? Depends on your point of view."

Have you ever heard of a sports car called a Bizzarini? There actually was such a thing. In the mid sixties an Italian industrialist named Bizzarini was insulted by Enzo Ferrari and decided to make his own sports car. For reasons of cost he had to use a ready made motor and he chose the Chev 327.

He hired an ex Ferrari engineer to design the chassis. This engineer thought he had been saddled with some kind of truck motor - until he tried it.

After tests, he said the Chev engine was comparable to the Ferrari V12 in horsepower, speed, weight, and overall size and was actually better on the street because it had more torque and a smoother power curve.

And of course, in terms of cost and engine life there was no comparison.

The one place the Ferrari had the edge was in horsepower per cubic inch which is important in racing classification but meaningless on the street.