I Shoulda Had a V-8, Too

My father owned several cars with V-8 engines, but I've never owned one. (A straight-8 and some V-6s, yes, but never a V-8.) Now I'm reminded of what I've missed:

I Shoulda Had a V-8

By Ralph Kinney Bennett
Published 09/23/2004

In September 1914, just 90 years ago, the makers of a very good American car made a dramatic leap from good to great.

That was when Cadillac, which had already established a reputation in the luxury field with its high-quality four cylinder cars, introduced the all new "Type 51" with a V-8 engine....

Advances in internal combustion engine technology give today's motorists a wide variety of smooth powerful engines -- fours, sixes and eights -- and the perfection of the V-6 over the past couple of decades has given them power and acceleration rivaling V-8s.

But there's still something about those extra two cylinders. Drive a Chrysler 300 with its fine V-6, for instance. Then get behind the wheel of a 300 with the new Hemi V-8. Whooee! Automotive engineers can give you technical reasons for the difference but it's better just to experience it, to feel it...."