British V8 engines

1962 Coventry Climax FWMV 1500cc V8 Formula 1 engine in a Lotus 24

Bentley V8 engine

The Rolls-Royce V-8 was the first British V8. It is a 3.5 L (214 cu in) square engine with side valves and a 90° angle. To compete with electric cars, the engineering priorities of this engine were quietness and refinement over outright power and the design was deliberately shallow to emulate the look of the town brougham.

A later Rolls-Royce V8 was the Meteorite, an armoured vehicle and marine engine derived from the V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor tank engine by using two-thirds of the Meteor's cylinders, the Meteor itself being developed from the Merlin aero engine.

In the twenty-first century, Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover, McLaren and Radical all continue to manufacture V8 engines.

Aston Martin
The V8s used in Aston Martins from 1969 to 2000 were based on an internal design by Tadek Marek and were used extensively in a variety of models, starting with the 1969 DBS V8, followed by the Vantage, Virage, plus Volante convertible versions amongst others. After the Vantage was discontinued in 2000, there were no V8 models until the introduction in 2005 of a hand-built dry-sump version of Jaguar's AJ-V8 with 4.3 L (262 cu in). The block, heads, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, camshafts, inlet and exhaust manifolds, lubrication system and engine management are all unique to the Aston Martin. It was used in the V8 Vantage. In 2008, capacity was increased to 4.7 L (287 cu in) by using pressed cylinder liners instead of cast-in liners.

Autovia
A subsidiary of Riley, Autovia was launched in 1936 with a 2.9 L (177 cu in) 90° V8 to take on the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The triple camshaft engine was developed from a pair of 1½-litre Riley engine blocks.

Bentley
See Rolls-Royce.

Daimler
Edward Turner designed the lightweight 2.5 L (153 cu in) and high-performance 4.5 L (275 cu in) hemi-head Daimler V8 engines, announced in 1959. The 2.5 saw service in the Daimler SP250 (1959–1964), and, after the Jaguar takeover, in the "Daimler 2.5 L V8"/"Daimler 250" (1962–1969) versions of the Mk2 Jaguar bodyshell. The 4.5 L was used in the Daimler Majestic Major, (1959–1968).

Jaguar
Jaguar introduced its first V8 engine, the AJ-V8, in 1996. It has been developed and updated continuously, and varies in capacity from 3.3 L (201 cu in) (marketed as a 3.2 L) to 5.0 L (305 cu in). It is fitted with variable valve timing and, more recently, direct injection. The 4.0 L (244 cu in), 4.2 L (256 cu in) and 5.0 L (305 cu in) engines are available with the option of supercharging for use in top specification models.

The AJ-V8 featured on Ward's 10 Best Engines list in 2000. It has been fitted extensively to all of Jaguar's recent executive, luxury and sports cars where it replaced both the AJ6 and V12 units. The AJ-V8 can also be found some upmarket Ford and Lincoln models as well as in David Brown Automotive's Speedback GT and Land Rovers, including a unique to Land Rover 4.4 L (269 cu in) capacity.

Land Rover
In 2006 Land Rover added the TDV8 to its list of engines. This diesel powered, twin turbocharged, 90° V8 is made with a compacted graphite iron block and aluminium head which offer good strength but lower weight. Initial capacity was 3.6 L (220 cu in) which produced 472 ft·lbf (640 N·m) at 2000 rpm. In 2010, capacity was increased to 4.4 L (269 cu in) increasing torque to 546 ft·lbf (740 N·m) at 1,500 rpm. It is currently being used in the Range Rover^[24] and Range Rover Sport.^{[25][ not in citation given ]}

Lotus
Project 918 was a V8 engine introduced by Lotus for the S4 Esprit in 1996. The engine was a 3.5 L (214 cu in) unit designed in-house by Oliver Winterbottom, with twin turbochargers and an all-aluminium construction.

McLaren
In 2010 McLaren Automotive, together with Ricardo, developed the 3.8 L (232 cu in) M838T twin-turbocharged engine, for use in the 12C and later 650S supercars. It is also used in highly modified plug-in hybrid form in the P1 hypercar.

Radical
Radical Sportscars offer a V8 powered car, the SR8, whose Powertec RPA engine is based upon two Suzuki Hayabusa engines joined to a common crank, utilising the original heads with a purpose designed block.

Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce's first V8 debuted in 1905 but was short-lived. The company is better known for the L Series V8 which started development in 1952 and entered production in 1959, a joint-effort between Rolls-Royce and Bentley led by engineer Jack Phillips. Following contemporary design practice, it featured overhead valves (OHV), a central camshaft and wedge-shaped combustion chambers. Some of its features were inspired by the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine, including the aluminium block with wet liners, gear-driven camshaft, (initially) outboard spark-plugs and porting.

It is still used in modern Bentleys today (and is the world's longest-lived car engine) but began life in the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S2. Early versions were of 6.25 L (381 cu in) displacement, growing to 6.75 L (412 cu in) in the 1970s. Turbocharging in various Bentley models beginning in the 1980s led to the resurgence of the Bentley marque as the power outputs of the engine were increased in several steps. It currently produces 530 bhp (400 kW) and 1,100 N·m (810 ft·lb) in the Bentley Mulsanne Speed,^[26] while meeting Euro 6 and LEV II emissions standards.^[27] It wasn't until 2007 that the final components which could be traced back to the 1959 engine were replaced.^[28]

Rover
Rover's first foray into V8 engine manufacture came with the Rover Meteorite petrol or diesel engine, which derived from the 60° V12 Rolls-Royce Meteor engine used in British tanks from 1943. Meteorite was used in trucks and transporters and was suitable for marine and stationary use.

For passenger vehicles, Rover was in need of a new, more powerful engine by the mid-1960s. The managing director of Rover, on a trip to the U.S. to sell marine engines, saw an example of the Buick 'Small Block' 215 engine in the Mercury Marine experimental department and noticed its light weight and small size. The 3.5 L (214 cu in) V8 was only 12 pounds (5.4 kg) heavier and less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) longer than the 2.0 L (122 cu in) Rover straight-4. He sent the aluminium engine back to the U.K. for evaluation. It worked well in the large Rovers, being considerably shorter, lighter, and more powerful than the Rover straight 6, and Rover acquired manufacturing rights to it. The Rover V8 was redesigned to improve the durability and high-speed performance, leaving few parts interchangeable with the original Buick engine. The engine first appeared in Rover saloons in the late 1960s.

As well as appearing in Rover cars, the engine was also sold to small car manufacturers. Morgan, TVR, Triumph,^[29] Marcos, and MG, among others all bought the engine. Land Rover also used the V8, appearing in the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover in various guises, from 3.5 L (214 cu in) in the earlier models to the 4.6 L (281 cu in) used in the 1994–2002 models. Many independent sports cars manufacturers still use it in hand-built applications.

The allure of the 'Rover V8' moniker was considered to be so strong that MG Rover decided to re-engineer the Rover 75 in 2002 to fit a 4.6 L (281 cu in) V8 engine. As the original Rover V8 had ended production, the Ford Modular V8 was fitted instead.

Standard
In October 1936, the Standard Motor Company introduced its 'Flying V-Eight' model featuring a 2.7 L (165 cu in) flathead V8 developing 20 RAC horsepower. It was the flagship model of the company's 'Flying Standard' range, but it was unpopular; customers preferred the larger, roomier straight-6 'Flying Twenty' model, which cost much less than the Flying V-Eight's ₤349. Only 250 engines were made and production ended by the summer of 1937. Standard still had some for sale in 1938 at a reduced price.^[30]

Triumph
The 1971 Triumph V8 used the Slant 4 engine as its starting point. Initially it was to be fitted with fuel injection, but due to lack of funds at parent company Leyland Motors, the system was never perfected and twin carburettors were used instead. Despite its still innovative design, poor quality manufacturing let the Triumph V8 down and it garnered a poor reputation. As a result, the 3.0 L (183 cu in) V8 was used only in the Triumph Stag.

TVR
The specialist sports car firm TVR also produced their own V8 engine in 4.2 L (256 cu in) 350 bhp (261 kW) and 4.5 L (275 cu in) 440 bhp (328 kW) forms for the TVR Cerbera and Tuscan racer. Designed by Al Melling, the APJ8 engine is popularly known as the Speed Eight and features a flat-plane crank and unusual 75° Vee. The engine is very lightweight, weighing just 121 kg dry.

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