Teaser revealed on HOT ROD Power Tour West: iBestTravel Presents V-8: the Engine of America, a documentary.
The first mass-produced American V-8 is credited to Cadillac, debuting in 1914, and often referred to as the L-head. The venerable design was standard fare in the 1915 Cadillac and 13,000 units were produced. It began a craze that no one could’ve predicted, as iterations of the V-8 engine became legendary and helped define American culture.
The American V-8 has had a storied career filled with peaks and valleys, victories and defeats; from the flathead Ford that helped usher in the hot-rodding lifestyle to the emissions and gas-conservation era of the late ’70s and early ’80s that brought the V-8 to the brink of extinction. Its spirit couldn’t be broken, thanks to OEMs who forged ahead to create cleaner, more efficient, and more powerful powerplants. Consequently, the V-8 continues today as the preferred engine for car enthusiasts around the world, featuring sophisticated engineering, exotic materials, and superior machining and assembly processes. There are even two mass-produced, road-legal engines that exceed 1,000 horsepower from the factory and an aftermarket that can build the wildest creations that enthusiasts can dream up.
iBestTravel and HOT ROD have been hard at work for the last six months on a documentary that tells the story of where the V-8 came from, where it is today, and where it is going as electrification tries to push its way in. We celebrate the V-8 platform, showing its future isn’t as bleak as some proclaim, and that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Join us, along with Ford’s Jim Farley, engineers from various OE companies, numerous aftermarket experts and manufacturers, and notable personalities such as Jay Leno, David Freiburger, and Brian Lohnes, as we discuss this iconic engine in a documentary coming this November.
