The Straight Eight Engine
Powering the Premium Automobiles of the Twenties and Thirties
New Edition
9781854433060
Distributed for Dalton Watson Fine Books
The Straight Eight Engine
Powering the Premium Automobiles of the Twenties and Thirties
New Edition
The straight eight engine, also known as the inline eight engine, was the driving force behind some of the most fascinating luxury vehicles of the first half of the twentieth century. From its introduction in the 1920s through its demise in the 1950s, the straight eight graced a number of upmarket vehicles from makers like Pontiac, Packard, and Daimler, and even appeared under the hood of the hyper-exclusive Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, of which only eighteen models were produced. Although it was eventually replaced by the V8 engine, the straight eight engine can be found in some of the most valuable and sought-after vehicles of all time. Keith Ray’s The Straight Eight Engine is the first volume to be published about this extraordinary mechanism. Featuring four hundred images, the book is a lush tribute to an automotive component likely to never be equaled for smoothness and refinement.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Why the Straight Eight?
Technical Problems with Straight Eight Engine Design
The Straight Eight: A Kiss Of Death?
The Birth of the Straight Eight Automobile
An Overview of the Manufacturers
Alfa Romeo
Alvis
Amilcar
Arrol-Aster
Auburn
Balboa
Ballot
Bentley
Beverley-Barnes
Brennabor
Brough Superior
Bugatti
Buick
Burney
Chandler
Chenard et Walcker
Chrysler
Cord
Daimler
De Dion Bouton
De Soto
Delage
Diana
Diatto
Dodge
Duesenberg
Dupont
Elcar
Essex
Ferrari (Auto Avio 815)
Fiat
FN
Frontenac
Gardner
Graf & Stift
Graham-Paige
Hampton
Hartz
Hillman
Horch
Hudson
Hupmobile
Isotta Fraschini
Jensen
Jordan
Kenworthy
Kissel
La Salle
Lanchester
Leyland
Locomobile
Marendaz
Marmon
Maserati
Mathis
McFarlan
Mercedes Benz
Miller
Minerva
Moon
Nash
Oldsmobile
Opel
Packard
Panhard Levassor
Peerless
Pierce Arrow
Pontiac
Railton
Rally
Renault
Reo
Rickenbacker
Roamer
Rohr
Rolland Pilain
Rolls-Royce
Ruxton
Salmson
Skoda
Stearns-Knight
Stoewer
Studebaker
Stutz
Sunbeam
Triumph
Weigel
Windsor
Wolseley
Zis & Zil
Straight Eights in the Air and on the Water
Straight Eight Advertising
Index
Introduction
Why the Straight Eight?
Technical Problems with Straight Eight Engine Design
The Straight Eight: A Kiss Of Death?
The Birth of the Straight Eight Automobile
An Overview of the Manufacturers
Alfa Romeo
Alvis
Amilcar
Arrol-Aster
Auburn
Balboa
Ballot
Bentley
Beverley-Barnes
Brennabor
Brough Superior
Bugatti
Buick
Burney
Chandler
Chenard et Walcker
Chrysler
Cord
Daimler
De Dion Bouton
De Soto
Delage
Diana
Diatto
Dodge
Duesenberg
Dupont
Elcar
Essex
Ferrari (Auto Avio 815)
Fiat
FN
Frontenac
Gardner
Graf & Stift
Graham-Paige
Hampton
Hartz
Hillman
Horch
Hudson
Hupmobile
Isotta Fraschini
Jensen
Jordan
Kenworthy
Kissel
La Salle
Lanchester
Leyland
Locomobile
Marendaz
Marmon
Maserati
Mathis
McFarlan
Mercedes Benz
Miller
Minerva
Moon
Nash
Oldsmobile
Opel
Packard
Panhard Levassor
Peerless
Pierce Arrow
Pontiac
Railton
Rally
Renault
Reo
Rickenbacker
Roamer
Rohr
Rolland Pilain
Rolls-Royce
Ruxton
Salmson
Skoda
Stearns-Knight
Stoewer
Studebaker
Stutz
Sunbeam
Triumph
Weigel
Windsor
Wolseley
Zis & Zil
Straight Eights in the Air and on the Water
Straight Eight Advertising
Index