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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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On the import side MGB with 2.6 Ford Capri type V6 would have changed it into a real sports car.
just put a 302 in a 2 door panel wagon pinto looks factory not nose heavy only thing odd is the street scoop
The last of the AMC Eagles. They had the 258 with carb, should have got the 4.0L EFI and AW4 auto (or five speed manual) as used in the Jeep XJ in 87, at least in the 2306 1988s made. I know a few people who have swapped the 4.0L/AW4 drivetrain into them. It’s really wakes the car up! If it hadn’t been for the requirement to EPA test every drivetrain in every chassis it may have happened. Couldn’t expect AMC/Renault or Chrysler to spend that money on a chassis that was so outdated and on it’s way out. Same with the Grand Wagoneer, but they should have put an EFI system on the AMC 360 if not ditched it for a Chrysler EFI V8.
2000’s era Dodge Caravan with SRT4 turbo engine or 90’s through 2000’s Quest or Villager with Nissan Skyline all wheel drive drivetrain and engine combo would have been sick!! Imagine being a Mustang, Camaro or even Corvette owner and getting your doors blown off by a minivan!! That would have been an ultimate sleeper!! Still trying to figure out how to go about my “Z”illager project going! Lol
I had two 74 Mk 1 Capri’s with the ‘ big ‘ 2.8 Cologne. They were both fun cars but that a V-8 would sure be sweet was always tempting. A friend put a 302 in an early Pinto. Didn’t handle bad and I’d imagine in a wagon might be a bit better balanced. When I got the Mk II a 302 got the nod. Fit really well and to look at it you’d think it had been a factory option. No problem to work on either. Being a bit more nose heavy didn’t affect it much. Adding the usual bolt ons took some weight off and with a more generous helping of suspension upgrades it ended up handling considerably better than V-6 s. Needless to say the power upgrade was a real eye opener.So I’ll nominate the ” sexy European ” Capri on the would of should of list.
None of the respondents here are from the “it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast” camp, obviously – we ALL wanted to have more cubes, more torque, and MORE POWER! 😉
Can’t believe no one has brought up the anemic 305 ci they put in the ’83 thru 88 Monte Carlo SS’s I had an ’86 and an ’88 A tuned port 350ci and a manual trans in those thing woulda been just what the Dr. ordered ( they never hired that Dr. ) That platform had SO much potential. These days, a nice LS swap is what most are getting now
hay john The first 2.4 liter turbocharged engine was used in the Mexican Dodge Stratus R/T and Cirrus from 1996 to 2000. Chrysler’s Mexican division developed the engine, which was a variant of the EDZ engine.
Chrysler first used the 2.4 turbo engine in a van, specifically the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, between 1996 and 2000. This engine was part of the “World Gas Engine” family, which included both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions then it went into the PT Cruiser and LAST it went into the srt4
The Citroen DS deserved a more modern engine than the Traction Avant mill it was stuck with. Closer to home the 2nd generation Mazda5 would have greatly benefited from the 2.5 Skyactiv G and 6 speed transaxle of the CX-5
The 1954 Corvette should have got the (New) 261 six.
Years ago saw an article about a v-8 swap for Saturn sky. Think it involved a bunch of off the shelf GM parts. Could be wrong. Thought that would of been a nice factory option
Merkur XR4ti with Cologne V6 as the engineering gods intended. F that puffed-Pinto BS.
As Clifferd mentioned, the Toyota 1UZ-FE engine would have been good in the Land Cruiser. But even better, since it first appeared in the ’92 model year Lexus cars, would have been if it had been an option in the last year of the 3rd gen Supra with an R154 (only) behind it. Or even an option in the MkIV Supra. More power and torque than the 2JZ-GE, not as much as the 2JZ-GTE, but so much simpler than the turbo model and lighter – by 50 pounds – than either of them.
Chrysler 300 with a Hellcat Hemi
Chevy Vega with an LT-1 350
AMC should have put their 401 V8 as an option in the Gremlin.
I know Randall AMC dealer made them but AMC should have done it from the factory, With 4 speed option.