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Which Car Never Got the Engine It Deserved?
One thing I’ve learned in my time with the Hagerty Community is to never underestimate what they (i.e., YOU) can contribute to the content we create here at Hagerty Media. I enjoy wondering about the variety of our collective hopes and dreams for our classic, antique, and specialty vehicles. Be it an engine swap or a full restoration, we all have such dreams, don’t we?
So here’s the question I pose to everyone: what if the cars we love also had hopes and dreams? I reckon among the first things they’d dream about is having the best engine possible under their hoods. So tell me, Hagerty Community:
What car never got the engine it deserved, and what is that engine?
I’ll answer the second part first. As a Ford Lincoln-Mercury enthusiast, I’ve used this answer more often than I can remember: The Ford “427 SOHC” big block V-8. This rowdy, single overhead camshaft version of Ford’s venerable FE engine was based on the 427 side oiler, but with hemispherical heads and that unique SOHC valvetrain. The idea was to make a motor that would put Chrysler’s 426 HEMI on notice, but it never reached such fame. And that’s a shame.
I suspect any Ford equipped with a 427 SOHC also needed one of those “as-is” stickers, just like the 426 Mopar it intended to usurp. That’s a necessary distraction, because Ford could have sold enough of these to justify all that effort. (Or so I’d like to believe!)
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Every Ford Thunderbolt needed this mill. It should have been an option for the Mercury Cougar. Or perhaps a limited run of “Cammer Continental Convertibles,” because that’s right up my alley. But now it’s your turn to contribute, valued member of the Hagerty Community:
What car never got the engine it deserved, and what is that engine?
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The Triumph Stag. Beautiful car with a terrible engine that often had sand in it from its mold.
The Stag should have used the Buick desgned aluminum V-8 that Rover was designing at the same time for their “less worthy” sedans. Company politics precluded such a collaboration before they were forced into a single company.
Michelotti’s design would have been a sales “Triumph” with an engine such as this.
The 1994/95 SN95 GT mustangs should have gotten the 5.8 Windsor engine , and not just the limited production 1995 Cobra R
My daily is not the sn95 but I have a 5.8 in my foxbody (supercharged) and it’s nice. I had to mill down the intake here and there to get it to fit, so I bet it would be harder for the SN95.
The Solstice looks like a fast car so it deserves more power. It’s a great looking car but fails when it comes to performance
I have a 2008 GXP chipped. Pushing about 290 HP spooled up and it still don’t launch like it should. Mallet stuffed V8s in them but that was overkill (If there is such a thing) A turbo or supercharged 3800 V6 I think would have made that 2800lb go cart raise some eyebrows.
XJ220….needed a V12 not a turbo V6….maybe it was ahead of it’s time. Also the Celica GT could have done with something more potent than a 1.8L.
The 1985 to 1989 Merkur XR4Ti – it had an anemic 2.3 liter 4 cylinder Ford SOHC turbocharged engine, which had a very narrow powerband. In Europe, these babies at least had a Ford Cologne V6. What this car really needed was the 5.0 V8 from the Mustang GT – that power plus the Merkur’s handling prowess reconfigured to handle the extra V8 weight, and unique Euro design would have resulted in a lot more sales! At the very least, Ford should have put the intercooled version of the 2.3 liter Turbocharged 4 cylinder – from the SVO Mustang, in the XR4Ti as standard equipment…it would’ve added 20% more h.p.!
Every domestic car from 1972 to 2000.
Absolutely Agree
The final years of the Thunderbird should of had a 5.0 engine with 5 speed option I seen rumors the bird might be back, saw online looked like a mustang..
1969 Chevelle SS L88!
My response can still be done by Ford. I would like to see Ford make a short bed regular cab lightning with the electric motors. It would be a true replacement for the original Lightning. The electric power would make a lightning that is faster and more powerful than the current edition of the Lightning and the original lightning. I owned a 2003 Lightning for 17 years and would love to have an EV replacement.
84-88 Monte Carlo SS. Never had the bite to match the bark. 305 HO was the only engine. HO means Hardly Operable.
Chrysler Crossfire and Plymouth Prowler.
Chevrolet S-10 needed a small V8.
Hagerty readers have risen to the occasion with their responses, taking care of the obvious–Prowler, Fiero–and adding many detailed examples. Here’re a few more. Why not make better use of the 3.2 V-6 that appeared only in the last version of the Cherokee? That was a good engine. In retrospect had smaller V-8’s been optional in sixties Thunderbirds and Mercurys a lot more of them would have survived.
In Europe, the Ford Sierra came with the Cologne V6. It was a fast and reliable litte car. When the XR4Ti got here, it had the Turbo 4. Too much underhood heat, peaky and unreliable. It coulda been a contender.
The Vega should have had a better engine (for the base model) – even the Iron Duke or a V6 would have been a great improvement.
I had an 87 Turbo Thunderbird. I loved the styling but the four cylinder had its issues and I had a bit of trouble with it. Loved the 5 speed, but wished I could have had a 302 in it and kept the swoopy styling…