The smallest relocation -V8 engine ever in a production car

The V-8 engine is the most versatile engine configuration ever produced. It all started with the first V-8 engine produced in 1904 and since then the V-8 engine has been used for so many purposes. From sports cars to medium and large trucks, food boats and planes, the V-8 has driven a wide range of machines. In the 21st century the V-8 can still be found in different applications, because it remains the most versatile engine available.

Most V-8s are characterized by their large travel engines that are great for power, torque and reliability. An ordinary American V-8 would have a displacement of about 6.2 liters, which is great for a wide range of applications. However, due to strict emission standards, most sports car companies are shrinking up to 4.0 liters, which is small enough and still efficient. But before these emissions came into play, there was a much smaller V-8 engine from the most unlikely source. Ferrari is known to make it some of the most characteristic V-8 engines, but They also have the title for making the smallest V-8 engine in history.

Ferrari made the smallest V-8 engine

The 308 GT4 Marked a crucial moment in the history of Ferrari as the first V-8-driven road cars of the company. Build on the foundation laid by the Earlier Dino models, This introduction of 1973 represented an important evolution of the V-6-driven predecessors who had established Ferrari’s Midden-Motor-Sportauto-take.

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In the heart of the 308 GT4 was a compact 2.9-liter natural sucked V-8, transversal mounted to optimize the packaging in the slim mid-engine chassis. This power plant launched what would be the most iconic motor configuration of Ferrari for decades. European markets enjoyed the full output of 255 hp, while American buyers received a somewhat ignited version that produced 240 hp a common practice among European manufacturers who navigate stricter American emission rules of the era.

The engine supplied force through a manual five-speed gearbox and provides the type of fascinating driving experience that Ferrari’s V-8 sports cars would define generations. This seemingly modest 2.9-liter unit would prove to be the basis for a whole dynasty of Ferrari V-8 engines.

The smallest V-8 engine ever

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In November 1974, Ferrari unveiled another version of the 308 at the Turin Auto Show, but with a small turn this updated vehicle had a smaller V-8 engine. This was known as the 208 GT4 and had a 2.0-liter V-8 engine that made 170 hp. It was an almost identical car for the 308, but the most important difference was the smaller engine. The 308 GT4 had a 2.9-liter V-8 while the new 208 GT4 had a 2.0-liter engine, but there was a reason for this.

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At the time, taxes were delivered on cars with more than two liters of displacement. Every car that exceeded this limit would be subject to a substantial VAT of 38% who was double the mostly amount needed, which was originally 18%. So Ferrari made a much smaller engine to meet the requirements of the Italian government.

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However, this tax requirement for larger travel engines was mainly done because of The OPEC -EMBARGO of 1973. This threatened to greatly reduce the oil supply, so to reduce its effects, the Italian government put a cap on the relocation of the engine.

It was only sold in Italy

Ferrari

Building a brand new engine to meet the regulations is a huge task for a company, but more stressful for a company like Ferrari. They may have a few cars in their line -up today, but until recently this was not the case, so a new engine like this was a big investment for the brand. However, Ferrari has never made the 208 GT4 a global vehicle as It was only sold in Italy.

A new 308 was introduced in 1975 and was sold in addition to the 208, so this helped to compensate for some of the costs that Ferrari made possible when building a new engine. Although they were identical, some subtle changes were made to the 208 GT4. These changes include:

• Smaller tires

• No fog lights

• Black instrument cluster instead of silver.

The 308 and 208 were officially Ferraris

The 308 was the 208, originally known as the Dino 308 GT4 and Dino 208 GT4, but a change was made in 1976. These cars were officially recognized as Ferraris and had all the Dino badges replaced by the Limend Horse Badges. The Dino name was fell and then became known as the Ferrari 308/208 GT4. The 208 remained in production until 1980 with a total production of 2,826 308s and 840 208s. The 208S are considerably less because they were only sold on the Italian market.

Other Ferraris who used this engine

Wikimedia Commons/More Cars

Ferrari has made a major investment by creating a new and smaller V-8 engine. Selling only 840 cars would not be enough to let this investment pay, so the 2.0-liter V-8 found its way to the successor. Ferrari had already introduced a new 308 in 1975 and had plans to make a smaller engine. The 208 version, which was already in the making.

In 1980 Ferrari introduced the new 208 GTB and GTS with the same 2.0-liter V-8 from the previous car. They were still mainly sold in Italy, but were also offered for sale in Portugal and Nieuw -Zeeland. In 1982, The regular 208 GTB/GTS was replaced by a turbo vein version that is known as the 208 GTB/GTS Turbo. This was a huge milestone for Ferrari as It was the first road -guided Ferrari ever turbo compressorIt was still meant to be sold in their own country, making them very limited. The production of the 208 GTB Turbo ended in 1985, but this small V-8 has another chapter in his story.

Ferrari GTB/GTS Turbo

In 1985 the Ferrari 328 replaced the previous 308, and this time it had a larger 3.2-liter V-8 engine that replaced the former 2.9-liter unit. A year later, Ferrari introduced a new model, simply known as the GTB/GTS -Turbo. It replaced the former 208 Turbo, but used an updated version of its 2.0-liter V-8 with more power. All these cars were limited to the Italian market, making their production numbers very small.

Evolution of the smallest relocation V-8

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Engine specifications

The 2.0-liter V-8 began as a natural drawn engine with only 170 hp linked to a manual five-speed gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels. It was used in this configuration in the 208 GT4 and later in the 208 GTB, which was the successor. The 208 GTB had less power than the original GT4, even with four new Weber carburetors. But the next version of this small rocket would receive some changes in the form of forced induction.

The 208 GTB received an updated fuel injection version of the Ferrari V-8 with a turbocharger. This turbo vein version was influenced by the turbo version of the Ferrari 126C Formula 1 car. It now had 220 hp, which is 50 hp more than the naturally extracted version. The final version of this engine came in the successor, the 328-based GTB turbo. It still used the same Turbo-Sharged V-8, but with a new turbo compressor and the addition of an air-air intercooler. This was the most powerful version of Ferrari’s smallest V-8 with a maximum output of 251 hp.

The development of the last Turbo V-8 driving line was led by Nicola Materazzi. An important man, while he worked on the Ferrari 126c Formula 1 car and was a chief engineer for the Ferrari 288 GTO. He would apply lessons of these cars to the GTB -Turbo and would later become a chief engineer for the Ferrari F40.

Small relocation V8 engines

Wikimedia Commons/MR Choppers

Ferrari may have made the smallest relocation V-8 in car history, but they are not the only ones. There are other manufacturers who have also made very small relocation V-8s, and a common feature that they share is that they are usually Italian. To describe how small these V-8 engines are, 2.0 liters is the regular displacement of most four-cylinder engines nowadays. This means that these small V-8 engines are as small as most four-cylinder cars of today.

Other cars that used small relocation V8s are:

• Lamborghini Urraco-2.0 Liter V-8

• Alfa Romeo 33 Road-2.0 Liter V-8

• Fiat 8V-2.0 liter V-8

• Ford 136 V8 – 2.3 liters V -8

• Simca Aquilon – 2.4 liters V -8

• Tatra 603F – 2.5 liters V -8

• Daimler V8 – 2.5 liters V -8