The most famous inline 8 engines (and the cars they powered) – Jalopnik

As is the case in any industry, fashion comes and goes in the automotive world. Some trends are becoming a thing of the past due to changing tastes, like those gold badges on the back of Toyota models from the ’90s, for example. Others go out of fashion as new technological advances make the old way of doing things obsolete, and that’s the case with the straight-eight.

As the 1950s dawned, V8 engines took over due to their compact and lightweight construction, plus they could fit in tighter spaces and also had higher compression ratios. Yet that does not mean that the straight-eight became undesirable from a consumer perspective, but only from a production perspective. The inline-eight was still a reliable, smooth, and in some cases remarkably powerful configuration.

But when the last mass-produced inline-eight disappeared from production in the mid-1950s, the configuration was largely consigned to the history books. Here we’ve decided to put it back in the spotlight, by showcasing five of the most iconic examples to ever grace the hood of any car, be it racing cars or simple commuters.

The story goes that when EL Cord bought a controlling interest in the Duesenberg motorcycle company in 1926, he commissioned the Duesenberg brothers to make the best car they could. As a result, the brothers developed the Duesenberg Model J, and while it was impressive in many ways, it was the eight-cylinder under the hood that stole column inches during the day.

The ‘eight’ produced 265 hp at 4,200 rpm, which effectively doubled the power of today’s Cadillac or Packard models, and thus more than met the requirements set by Cord just two years earlier. It cost £1,150, and at the time the Model J crankshaft sold for $605 in the parts catalog – more than what a brand new Model A would cost you. This was anything but a people’s car, and more a statement of pure excess, with the 419.7ci inline eight-cylinder taking center stage.

Very few revisions would occur over the years, although an ‘SJ’ variant of the engine arrived several years later, with a supercharger. This addition increased production from 265 to 320 horses, and this particular version of the Duesenberg would remain America’s most powerful road car until the 1950s. It showed how far ahead the now defunct car manufacturer Duesenberg was in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The Bugatti Type 35 is the most successful racer of all time – not the most successful of its time, but of all time, even a century after its creation. During his illustrious career he had racked up more than 2,500 victories, and all iterations are powered by a race-ready inline-eight. The earliest versions had a capacity of just under 2 liters, but this grew over the years to just over 2.2 liters, culminating in a supercharged 2.3-liter variant with 140 hp, called Type 35B.

Many consider the 35B the ultimate iteration, with its Roots-type supercharger, twin camshaft, two valves per cylinder and larger radiator for improved cooling. With so many technical innovations to boast of, and so many impressive achievements from the period – such as winning the Targa Florio and several early Grand Prix races – it’s understandable that collectors in today’s world are scrambling to get their hands on the iconic Type 35B. Unfortunately, only about 45 of them were produced, and as such, it’s not uncommon to see these inline-eight-powered legends fetching significantly more than $1 million when they come up for sale.

Today’s motorsport world is so clear-cut, with neatly defined entry criteria and ever-changing rules and regulations, that manufacturers have to develop a specific car for each individual discipline. As a result, we’ll probably never see a car steal the Type 35’s record of ‘most successful racer’, and that alone is enough to earn the Bugatti’s place in any conversation that revolves around famous straight-eight engines and their successes.

The most valuable Grand Prix car of all time is quite an honor, and it belongs to the 1954 Mercedes-Benz 196 R Stromlinienwagen, after fetching just under $54 million in February 2025. The 1950s racer is a beautifully streamlined machine and was driven by legends such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss during that period.

Lying beneath the Streamliner’s gentle curves in a 2.5-liter straight-eight called the M196, which features dual ignition, dry-sump lubrication, a roller-bearing crankshaft and fuel injection, it was a true mechanical marvel of its time. Mercedes only raced the Streamliner for two seasons, but won nine of the twelve Grand Prix it entered, only retiring after Mercedes’ complete withdrawal from motorsport following the Le Mans disaster in ’55.

This wasn’t the first time the three-point automaker opted to use an inline-eight engine, with great success. The W 25 Silver Arrows racers of decades before also scored many victories with M25 engines providing motivation, and enough grunt to reach speeds north of 186 mph in the mid-30s. However, the W 196 R racers, of which only four were ever made, are really the ultimate version of Mercedes’ straight-eight racers, which came onto the market just before the brand’s break with motorsport and distanced itself from this specific engine configuration. Due to the performance, success and record-breaking values ​​that these cars now possess, it is impossible to exclude them from any conversation that focuses on famous or notable straight-eight engines – especially the M196.

The now defunct car manufacturer Pontiac developed its first inline eight engine in the early 1930s, replacing the outdated six-cylinder and in an attempt to take Chevrolet one step further. It would be the cheapest inline-eight on the market, and Pontiac would use the configuration for just over twenty years. While other straight-eights mentioned here are famous for their performance applications, the Pontiac ‘eight’ earns its place simply because it is a great and attainable mill.

Initially marketed as the ‘economy Eight’, Pontiac was direct about its objectives: offering a large and smooth engine usually associated with luxury vehicles, but at a more modest price point. It was the mill of choice for many models ranging from the Economy Eight Sedan of the 1930s to the more dramatically styled post-war Pontiac models such as the Chieftain and Streamliner. Over the years, Pontiacs of this era adopted the attractive nickname “Silver Streak,” which referred to the flash of chrome running down the center of the hoods and trunks of such models of the era. It was at this time that the ‘eight’ was frequently under the hood, and that is why the engine can also be called the Silver Streak straight-eight.

Fast forward to 2025, and while many inline-eight-equipped models from other automakers are now coveted collectibles reserved for racetracks and concours fields, inline-eight-equipped Pontiacs are still as viable as they were when new. Take a ’52 Chieftain for example. Hagerty estimates one of these in good condition at the time of writing for just $11,600, and that’s with a late 118-horsepower version of the lump under the hood. If your goal is to take pride in owning a less spotted inline-eight, then behind the wheel of a vintage Pontiac might be the easiest way.

American car manufacturers still stubbornly used the inline eight-cylinder in the early 1950s, while manufacturers from elsewhere in the world had moved on. That’s not to say the Americans were behind it, but the silky smooth and relatively powerful configuration fit what Americans needed from their cars at the moment. But as the 1950s dawned, it became clear that times were changing. More compact and lighter V8s took over, while base models still happily sported inline-six engines.

Some automakers persisted with the inline-eight until 1954, along with Packard, the sadly defunct automaker that kept the inline-eight in production longer than anyone else in the US. Packard’s straight-eight was available in numerous different styles throughout its production run, through ’54, when it was offered in 150, 160, 185 and 212 hp guises. These different variants also had different displacements, the smallest being 288ci and the largest being 359ci, and was called the Thunderbolt.

Like the aforementioned Pontiac eight-cylinder, this Packard unit is famous for its impact on the mass-produced American market, but also for being the last of its kind. It may have looked a little prehistoric compared to the more powerful and lighter engines that replaced the inline-eights in the early and mid-1950s. Much like the way old-school V6s and naturally aspirated V8s look today compared to hybrid and boosted powertrains. Nevertheless, Packard persevered, and no doubt there were some loyal customers who were happy with the brand before they too moved with the times.