Smallest Road-Legal V8 Engines Ever Built: A Look Back

The V8 engine is a staple of automotive history, but not all of them are big and burly. Some of the most interesting examples are small-displacement units that pair high power with high revving, a concept that was explored long before downsizing became a trend.

Take the Ariel Atom 500, which used a bespoke V8 made by fusing two Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engines, producing 500 hp in a car weighing about 1,300 pounds. It could hit 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and rev past 10,000 rpm, with only 25 examples built.

The Ferrari F40, debuting in 1987, featured a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 making 478 hp, reaching 200 mph and dethroning the Porsche 959 as the fastest production car. Ferrari planned 400 units but built 1,315 due to demand.

BMW's 2.6-liter all-aluminum V8 powered the 501 and 502 models from the mid-1950s, making 100 hp with a top speed just over 100 mph, though sales fell short of targets.

The Daimler SP250, first shown at the 1959 New York Auto Show, was voted the ugliest car there but its 2.5-liter V8 made 140 hp, and it became a favorite for British police interceptors chasing street racers.

Tatra's 603 sedan, produced from 1956 to 1975, had a 100-hp air-cooled V8 in the trunk and was used by government officials in socialist Czechoslovakia. It competed in European motorsport, but a planned entry in the 1960 Monte Carlo Rally fell through due to government interference.

The Simca Versailles, a dressed-up Ford Vedette, used a 2.4-liter Flathead V8 with 80 hp, managing 90 mph, and served as a stately executive car until Simca closed in 1970.

Fiat's 8V, debuting in 1952, was built around a 2.0-liter V8 after a luxury car project was canceled. With 125 hp in a light body, it found success in Italian GT racing despite only around 110 cars made.

The Lamborghini Urraco P200, sold from 1972 to 1979, had a 2.0-liter V8 making 180 hp, created to avoid Italian tax penalties on larger engines. Only about 70 of the 790 Urracos were P200s.

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, with a 2.0-liter V8 derived from a race car, produced 227 hp at 8,800 rpm and could reach 160 mph. Just 18 were built, making it highly sought after.

Finally, the Ferrari 208 GT4, arriving in 1975, had a 1,991 cc V8, the smallest in a series-production car at the time, making 170 hp. It was built to comply with Italy's two-liter tax law, and over 800 were sold, proving such models could succeed.