Lude Generation

This is a photo from back when engines were really tested to their limits, and beyond, by the manufacturers before rolling the engines off the factory.

For those of you who don't know, this is the Ford 427 (7.0 litre) "Cammer" V8, a 657hp engine from 1964!





One of these engines to buy would cost more than buying every single generation of Prelude a few times over. One sold on eBay recently, for $35k, and that was ridiculously cheap!

glowing fanimold makes me smile

Oh, forgot to mention as well, that engine isn't turbo'd or anything, it's making that power on a pair of carbs!!

lewd lude lover wrote: glowing fanimold makes me smile

Don't you mean 'header'?

*runs away giggling

Engines are still tested the same way. They are more advanced tests today too. Engines in ovens at 200degrees C and ran and same at -60. And again with heavy loads on the drive shafts.

Yea, that's a bit different to how they were tested though back in the 60s and 70s. The factories in Detroit would just get the engines running, the staff would go for a cigarette and get their cup of joe, and then just open the engines up till they'd explode.

I'll have to dig it out sometime, but I had a documentary about the old Detroit motor days, and there was an interview with an engine tester, and he said that the neighbouring factories would all synchronize their engine tests, and have bets on which was the last one you'd hear running. When all the engines had gone boom, they'd go back outside and discuss the results with each other. Back before everyone was worries about trade secrets, when engineers would actually talk to each other and help each other out.


I wish I worked in Detroit back in the muscle age.

There is no denying those were the good ole days, I mean can you imagine something like the R35GTR running a VTEC type system along with the huge sequential turbo's. The more modern fuel injection systems are undeniably more complete and allow more power for less fuel and more precise control etc, those old engines started it though. The only true "money no object" engineering playground of late I can think of is the Veyron, the engineers got told go make something happen and they went off, had a bit of a coffee, started designing and made one of the most epic vehicles of all time. Yes you can get over 1100bhp from a Supra 2JZ-GTE but that is engineered by a multitude of companies and parts and your own vision not just one company having at it and making something remarkable.

That said there are still glimmers of that mentality, the R35GTR with the special lip to keep the tyres on the rim as it corners so fast, the Lexus LFA with it's digital dash because "normal" instruments can't keep up with the gain and drop in revs, the Atom V8 is a monster of two Hayabusa engines that screams up the revs and makes monster power for it's size and the frame it's mounted in, even up to things like the Gumpert Apollo and Capparo T1 show some of this mentality. It's something we as enthusiasts know very well, we all pursue our own ideal and make some epic machines, now if only car manufacturers would give some of us or even thier own engineers a blank cheque to make a monster of a supercar and something like those old engines might be produced, bombproof and enough power and torque to reverse the spin of the planet.

We can only live in hope.

On a side note, if you know a few tricks about coils you can up the "power" of electric motors, I would also say everyone should have one, like Jay Lenno said, when everyone runs electric cars as daily drivers there will be more spare fuel for enthusiasts like us