Why are mid engined V8s getting larger each generation?

355 was very comfortable too and I think it had a little better ride. 360 chassis is so stiff it transmits more to the passengers. Dive them back to back on the same highway and you notice it.

The longitudinal trans took up a lot of space and made the car longer but with the big tunnels under the car there was just no way with a transverse trans.

 

F-1 versions?

 

Brian, what in the chassis limited underbody aero design on the 355?

 

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I will.. but then as I'm sure my base 99 3-pedal, with no air injection, racing seats and minimal options will then "not represent most 360's". The only way is to weigh both cars on the same scale with the same gas volume. I don't trust other peoples calibration. For now I'll go with the factory numbers or a trusted mechanic like Mr. Crall.

 

Question for clarification for the OP - what exactly do you mean by "larger"? As you can see from the responses, your question is not at all clear.

Do you mean engine displacement, from 3.0 to 3.2 to 3.4 to 3.5 to 3.6 to 4.3 to 4.5?

Do you mean physically larger, the length and width and height of the cars?

Do you mean weight?

Do you mean horsepower?

 

TORQUE.

You can spin an engine to what ever you want (within reason of course) but the car becomes pretty terrible to drive with no bottom end torque to get you moving, it will seem slow.

Torque is what you feel pushing you back in the seat and gives you the feel of acceleration.

The old saying, there is no replacement for displacement..

 

Not really.

The areo problem with the F355 was preserving the square 348 sub-frame. Had Ferrari build a rhombus subframe and put more 360-like suspension on the F355, there is/was plenty of engine bay space to put 360-like underbody diffusers.

 

Once the fuel injectors are inside the cylinder, the valve overlap problem goes away for the emissions versus valve overlap issue. You don't squirt gas until the exhaust valve closes.

Making a 12,000 RPM power plant run for 120,000 miles is significantly harder than making a 9,000 power plant, even after considering the smaller and lighter components involved.

 

Brian was going by the factory eu numbers as well,which we all know are crap, at least for US cars. Go ahead and weigh yours,that should be best case scenario. I'd be surprised if it was under 3100lbs.

 

It's a valid question. Would love to know what is being said at these meetings. Of course it would seem the next much be faster than the previous.

Considering the kind of cars that were being built, for a -LONG- time, I wish this weren't the case.

There are a lot of things that add up to an automobile being enjoyable. Absolute horsepower/acceleration is far from the top priorities in achieving this IMO.

 

You might be interested to know that I'm currently working on a development engine of 4L with a valve train designed for 11k rpm. The valve train hands down has been a monster of project and arguably the most difficult. Spring harmonics, inertial forces but the big hat trick? finding a mfg for a spring rated to withstand 10k+ rpm, hint.. motorcycle guys. Get it light and then things get a bit easier. Money no object, electric/hydrolic solenoids aka camless... still have problems to deal with but the infinite timing aspect may more then makeup for any losses there.

Idle at 1k... yeah that's gonna be tough unless coughing and sputtering qualifies

 

well i like the newer and bigger versions. i am not a large person, and fit snugly into my BBi, but it sure is a lot more comfortable in the 512r and the 456mgt.

 

Moot point as Ferrari has gone turbo in mid engine (and GT) V8s. These are diminutive motors with low compression on modular setups. Just add boost. The V12s are still NA and now up to 6.3L with 13.5:1 compression while hitting very close to 9K RPM! Personally, the slick coatings, webbed pistons, matrix metals, lighter valve trains, and advanced cooling should be tried first on the little motors and then let loose on the big V12s to hit the real NA power. Motors should actually get bigger instead of adding cheap attachments to keep up with competitors. IMO much more enjoyable for enthusiasts that purchase flagship Ferraris. The Speciale LE versions should then lose the weight to be more track focused and add even more power. Why would you want a $500K flagship Ferrari with a chainsaw-sized motor in it?