Sunday 18th September 1955

The Ford Motor Company produced its 2 millionth V8 engine, 23 years after the first was manufactured. V8 engines became popular in the late 1940s, when the engines of the time failed to meet industry demand for increased horsepower due to vibration and size problems. A stiff, V-shaped configuration was found to combat the problems, and the V8 became the preferred choice for car manufacturers. Trends began to reverse during the late 1960s with the advent of smaller cars, and four and six cylinder engines began to gain on the popularity of the V8.