Couldn't agree more. There is nothing low tech about the current Corvette engines. Light, efficient, compact ,reliable and powerful.
I've actually been ranting here for a lot longer Well in most cases the hp per litre is still way down. But in the end I'm very much just not a v8 person. Despise the sound (if I owned a large capacity v8 it would be so well muffled I couldn't hear it), except for full race ones. Hate the torque only and the lack of "enthusiasm to be driven hard". This is why I adore my 156v6. That engine and therefore car, just says to me all the time ... go on give me a rev, have some more fun mate. Yes it will putter around pretending to be a v8 at 1000rpm in 6th and pull cleanly. It will pass other cars promptly in 6th gear, but it is so much more fun to blip and select 3rd and feel the torque curve and power build and wind her to 7k rpm, hook 4th and so on ... the negative is you have to then brake unnecessarily hard to get back down to a sensible speed. But does it feel fun. It's not just about making the numbers. And yeah I'm sure v8's can be tuned for fun, but most are all about boring torque. I drive a truck, that has a lot of torque. My father had a Jensen Intercepter which was a great car, but IMO let down by the engine. It just thrummed along ... pushed the car along quickly when you wanted but never was any where near the fun of an Alfa engine. Pete
pete i mostly agree with what you are saying. Im not a big v8 fan myself, just trying to dish out some non bias perspective. yes nearly all the alfa v sixes are wonderful starting from the alfa sei no wonder they are the LS1 of europe when it comes to motor transplants. they sound alot better than 308's to boot. C7 vettes are fun. when u switch off the TC you can rotate the car with a brush of the throttle. how can that not be fun? try that with a 308. for me a perfect motor transplant would be a 348 or 355 drivetrain in a 308. added power is nice but the kicker is they are lighter and more importantly a lot lower mounted in the chassis. i seen one done by carl in LA. intercepters are cool, without spending buckets you can add mopar parts and tear that rear axle from it mounts. was your fathers mated to a slush box? i dont think ive ever seen one with a stick. all the best hf
yes its stretch...i think its like 4inches close to a 288gto. A more intriguing car for me was the 308gt4 in montreal that has a 348 drivetrain in it. imo the gt4 chassis is better... i had both variants. that car came up for sale recently. did anyone hear buy it? in terms of success, i try not to look at the monetary value of the vehicle as a gauge. plenty of crappy cars that are worth alot and vice versa. i think the stigma of yankee motors in italian sheet metal has worn off long ago. folks in europe, traditionally have spent much more on anglo/italian cars than the americans, perhaps they can see their attributes much more clearly. are they less of a snob than us? buddy has a non stock iso that he is selling... the thought has crossed my mind more than once.
In my FWIW opinion, it may have bodywork from Italy, might even wear the badges, but it ain't a FERRARI. The soul from Maranello vanished with the motor .......
It´s not something I´d buy, but with a tired and banged 308 GTBi with a badly seized engine you only can do two things: part it out until it´s an empty shell and then crush it, or build one of these kind of frankensteins. I think the second option is less painful.
I don't think you have any experience with the newer V8s. The LS7 and others do exactly what that Alfa motor does, except everything happens much quicker and faster. They are rev happy with the bonus of abundant torque. As to the Interceptor, that was the point of the mighty Mopar V8-effortless pace and smooth operation-befitting of the grand tourer that it was. I own a few Alfas as well and they are delightful engines, as are V8's, flat sixes, Jag sixes , Ferrari V12's,etc.
But I think there is still a huge difference between starting out with a car that originally came with Italian body work and an American engine than there is ripping out an Italian engine and putting in an American one. Big difference and I think that's still where people get stuck. I was far from being a purist when I had my 308 but there is no way I would have done this to it. It just changes it too much. I can't see the mods done to this car in any way being cheaper than a total rebuild of the stock motor. But once again, it's not mine and it's not yours so what we think is only valuable to us and other than that is irrelevant.
Slush box and don't get me wrong, it was a quick accelerating car and fun to drive, if you had plenty of petrol, and a nicer "boom boom" noise that turned into a refined thrum once cruising. ForzaV12, You are absolutely correct. Probably the newest v8 I've driven was a Holden Commodore of a boss on a very short trip and it was quick and nicely quiet. But that was at least 15 years ago. Okay I'm back in my corner Pete
Okay since we are discussing the merits of the v8 engine I've got a question and this relates to other cylinder denominations too. Why since 2010 (say) does an engine design sit down and decide that 5.7 litres is the right size for a new engine such as GM did with their v8? I don't get the need or want for such an enormous engine in these modern times. Same goes for Ferrari, etc. With modern technology I would have thought a 4 litre v8 would be optimal and all anybody would need power and torque wish. Is it a BMEP thing?, but even with cylinder deactivation you are still wasting fuel. Pete
Because the 350 CID size (5.7) is a core part of the Chevrolet mythos. It's the same reason Chrysler marketed a "392" Hemi engine in the Challenger, and Chevy also released a 427. Those are legendary engines from the past; marketing hangs on legend and emotion. Besides, big motors means big torque, which we love.
435hp from a 2017 N/A 5.0L V8 sounds pretty good until you realise that BMW were getting 414hp from a production N/A 4.0L V8 some 10 years earlier in the E92 M3! As for the car in the first post: They've ripped the heart and soul out of that car! As the great man once said: Image Unavailable, Please Login
I think a more accurate comparison would be the limited edition 526 HP GT 350 V8 to the limited edition 414 hp V8 of the e92 M3. The base 435 hp Mustang engine is a high volume V8 also found in the trucks with limited changes. The Ford V8 is a very impressive engine regardless of what it is compared to.
According to this site: BMW officially announces the end of E92 M3 coupe's production to make way for the new gen - egmCarTech - egmCarTech , BMW made @ 66,000 E90/91,92,93 V8 M3's in total. That is hardly a limited edition engine! (yes it's more limited than the Ford mustang, but it's hardly a handful of cars!). And regardless of numbers made, it was still roughly around the same amount of power in standard factory form as the standard factory Ford engine, from 1000cc less, and it was still some 10 years before Fords efforts. If Fords efforts are impressive, then BMW's efforts a decade ago must be mind blowing!
If you peruse the Ford and Chevy forums, you'll notice that many of them have "flat crank envy". So there'd likely be more enthusiasm for putting a Ferrari mill in a 'Stang -- aside from the fiscal issues. Replacing a blown Ferrari engine with a Ford or Chevy mill is just penny pinching. Heck, where are the 426 Hemi transplants? After all, Daimler bought Chrysler just to get the Mopar engine designers, then sold off the rest. Back around 1990, when renting cars, I always wanted to put the V6 from the LeBaron into the 'Stang, in place of their 4-banger. Mopars had been like that for decades: the only good part was the engine.
Is that really a problem? FWD cars certainly turn the front wheels more than that. Vanagon Synchros certainly run more angle (downward, not forward) than that. Baja racer vehicles run way more angle than that as well. I don't know that the CV joint cares much as long as it is within its service specs. There are far too few pictures on that auction to know if this is a good install or not. The front bumper and fascia don't look quite right. The bumper for sure is custom or something. For full price, I'd pass. I'm afraid the correct price is a good 308 minus whatever a real engine and transmission would cost. Not that it should be put back, but I think that's a realistic price for it.
Surprise! No sale.....Relisted at $69K...No Way! Let's review...There are 6 all original 308's on eBay right now priced at $45K to $50K. He wants $70K for this one...Hmmmmm...which one would be the better car and value?
I have to admit I was following it closely as well, curious ask whether it would sell at all... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mercedes Benz bought Chrysler for their engine designs ... you have to be joking right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a soft spot for Chryslers but WTF? Pete
The GM LS engine came out in 1997 replacing what is called the small block chevy (SBC). Engine displacements for that engine included, 4.8L, 5.3L, 5.7L and 6L. Later generations have included other displacements like the 7L engine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LS_based_GM_small-block_engine
