This is a Flathead V8 based on the original Ford design from 1932, but built by the French for use in military trucks right the way through until the early 1990s. This engine was completed in March of 1991, making it one of the last new examples of the engine ever made.
The historic significance of the Ford Flathead V8 is difficult to overemphasize, it debuted in 1932 in the Ford Model 18, and for the first time it offered Americans an affordable V8-powered automobile. The American love for the V8 really took off around this time, and the Flathead V8 would be the engine that powered the origins of the Hot Rod movement in the 1930s and 1940s.
The engine comes on a steel shipping frame with all the major parts needed to get it running, sadly the golden retrievers are not included.
The Ford Flathead V8 was developed by an engineering team at Ford beginning in the late 1920s. Fords had largely used inline-four cylinder engines with flathead designs up until this time, but Henry Ford wanted a larger, more powerful engine that could power larger cars and trucks, and better keep up with traffic which was getting quicker year on year.
Developing the molds and casting techniques to cast the Ford Flathead V8 as a single piece took years or trial and error, and it would be the last major project that Henry Ford had significant engineering and design input into. The final design featured an iron block with the camshaft over the crankshaft, three main bearings, and two side valves per cylinder.
The first version of the Flathead V8 would have a displacement of 221 cubic inches (3.6 liters) and produced 94 bhp and 144 lb ft of torque. This may not sound like much today, but back in the early 1930s it was a huge amount of power for an affordable car to have, and it made the Ford Model 18 a best-seller.
Later versions of the engine would feature displacements up to 337 cubic inches (5.5 liters), and some variants would be used in tanks, trucks, cars, boats, and even in some custom motorcycles. Although Ford would stop producing the engine in 1953 to replace it with the more modern Y-block, some manufacturers in France and Brazil would keep it in production for decades longer.
The engine you see here is likely one of the last series of production Flathead V8s ever made, it was built in France for military truck use, and it’s production date is the 28th of March 1991. This version of the engine has a displacement of 239 cubic inches (3.9 liters) and produced 95 bhp with 170 lb ft of torque.
The French version of the engine is known to have better castings than the originals, with improved metallurgy, more strength, less mold shifting, and it offers owners the ability to bore it out further for more displacement and more power.
As you can see from the engine ID plate, this unit was built on the 28th of March 1991.
A number of the engines were discovered in crates, in NOS (new old stock) condition and brought to the United States a number of years ago where they have been slowly sold one by one for use in hot rods and other classic builds. The engine shown here may very well be one of them.
The eBay listing notes that this engine has an aluminum oil pan, a 59A style bell housing, an 8BA style front of engine, and it’s said to have been dyno tested when it was built. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Richard David Legacy Motors
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