V-8 Ford

“Cadillac rollin’ down the open road, but nothin’ outrun my V-8 Ford.” — Chuck Berry.

The Ford V-8 was not the first V-8 engine but the first affordable to the mass market consumer. Introduced in 1932, it was installed in thousands of cars, trucks and utility vehicles until production in the U.S. ceased in 1953.

Included on the Ward’s list of the 10 best engines of the 20th century, it was the engine of choice for hot rodders in the ‘50s and remains popular today.

Ford had been riding the crest of Model “A” production from 1928-1931 when Henry Ford had the idea that a V-8 engine could be designed to sell for little more than a four cylinder. After much engineering, which included some trial-and-error testing, the 221 cubic inch 65 horsepower flat head engine was made available for only $10 more.

In 1932, a Ford roadster could be purchased for $460, $8,859 in today’s dollars. The secret to the engine’s success was the process that cast the block in one piece with the valves in the block with fewer parts than other designs that were basically two four-cylinder engines bolted together at a 60-degree angle.