Re: Why didn't Continental make an OHV V-8?

Posted by su8overdrive On 2012/7/24 5:36:37

Dr. Dyneto -- Always wondered whether the proprietary Continental L-head eights, or the Lycoming L-head eights, used in various "assembled" higher end cars of the late '20s, early '30s had the edge. I read decades ago one knowledgeable sounding source giving Lycoming the edge, as did an ancient mechanic who worked on both when they were used cars, but wonder if that might simply be due to Lycoming's exposure powering A-C-D products.

Further afield, but most A-C-D products were slickly marketed, overrated. Auburns of the '30s copied, and trailed, Buick and Hudson styling by a year or two, the handful of boattail speedsters notwithstanding. The Duesenberg Model J was obsolete within two years of its introduction, this and the tanked economy being why it took 'til 1937 to sell 480 of them when initial plan was to sell 500 Model Js a year.

Cord 810/812s were novel, but underfunded. The only A-C-D product that exuded affordable quality and wasn't overhyped, was the Auburn 12, the best bargain in automotive history. We know the Auburn 12 and Cord V-8 shared the same canted valve arrangement with the one-year-only '31 Oldsmobile V-8 and 1932-39 Packard Twelve, but let's ferret some Big Picture insight, not let this detail steer us to Lycoming.

Both Continental and Lycoming produced aircraft engines,
but Lycoming may've gotten a PR boost from powering A-C-D products. Remember that 10th grade dropout, former car salesman, stock market marauder E. L. Cord was twice on the cover of TIME magazine, the only industrialist ever so spotlighted.

Elcar, Gardner, duPont, Graham-Paige, Roamer, Jordan, Ruxton, Peerless, Locomobile, Overland were among those using Continental and Lycoming side-valve inline eights, many of the preceding considered CCCA Classics, since what the 1941 Cadillac Club of America thinks still matters to people who need the C-word to feather their nest.

But it would be nice to find some vetted, period, insider views as to whether Continental or Lycoming had the edge.

Thanks. Interesting question and good answers above. We now return you to your '50s discussion, already in progress.