5 Oddball Cars With V4 Engines

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Before nan inline-four became nan go-to default motor and nan V6 was compact capable to fresh into mini motor bays, nan four-wheeled automotive world saw nan V4 arsenic a superb compromise. It was shorter than a comparable inline-four and lighter than nan V6, and much importantly, it promised compact packaging without sacrificing performance. However, it didn't drawback connected successful 4 wheels arsenic its larger siblings — nan V6 and V8 — did. The first due accumulation car to characteristic a V4 motor was nan Lancia Lambda successful nan early 1920s, which was a car measurement up of its time. The Lambda's V4 layout allowed for a constrictive motor that helped pinch amended packaging. The Lambda group nan way for different V4 cars (and vans) some wrong its fold and elsewhere.

The compact quality of a V4 lends it rigidity alongside a stiffer crankshaft compared to longer inline-four cranks. That's why nan V4 motor ne'er died; it simply migrated to bikes, truthful you tin still find plentifulness of modern breakdowns focused connected what makes nan motor truthful good. But cars stopped utilizing inline 4 engines because of costs and complexity. V4 engines emit plenty of vibrations and require a balancer shaft aliases clever crank designs to antagonistic them, making them comparatively harder to work and more expensive to manufacture. The inline-four is cheaper and has, complete nan years, go refined, much efficient, and much powerful acknowledgment to advancements successful turbocharging.

That said, location are rather a fewer oddball V4-engined creations peppered crossed nan automotive timeline. Certain cars (and vans) from Ford, Saab, Lancia, and Matra utilized these engines, allowing them to deviate from nan mainstream and time off a lasting impression.

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While you'd expect nan V4 motor successful lightweight sports cars, it was besides utilized successful commercialized vans, specified arsenic nan first-generation Ford Transit. Ford launched nan Transit MK1 successful 1965 successful nan United Kingdom. Before nan Transit, astir British vans were slow, pinch guardant power cabs wherever nan driver sat complete nan motor bay. The Transit changed this pinch its Essex V4 motor that sat behind nan van's iconic "pig snout" nose.

This peculiar V4 was a compact overhead-valve motor that comfortably sat wrong nan mini motor bay, which improved driver comfortableness and maximized rear cargo space. In nan U.K., nan Transit came pinch 1.7-liter and 2.0-liter V4 engines that delivered betwixt 72 and 90 horsepower, respectively, making nan Transit nan fastest van of its time. It besides had car-like handling characteristics, which attracted a unsocial clientele. According to Classic & Sports Car, Scotland Yard called nan Ford Transit "the cleanable getaway vehicle" which was utilized successful 95% of slope raids acknowledgment to its capacity and 1.75 tons of cargo space. Since then, nan Transit evolved into much law-abiding roles and utilized different powerfulness trains, including electric. In fact, the Ford E-Transit is 1 of nan astir breathtaking electrical cars today. 

The Essex V4 did vibrate a lot, contempt Ford utilizing a timing-gear-driven balancer shaft to support nan van from shaking itself apart. It was rugged, though, and it made nan Transit a taste icon successful Britain. It wasn't nan automaker's only V4, though. Across nan pond, Ford Germany had nan "Taunus" V4 (not to beryllium confused pinch Ford's Taurus), which really recovered usage successful a fewer notable Saab models.

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Saab has been known for its left-of-center creations (and besides for being the first carmaker to beryllium autonomous EVs worked), but its Sonett was genuinely an oddball model. The Sonett was primitively designed astir Saab's three-cylinder two-stroke motor, which was light, smoked a lot, and sounded for illustration a section mower. However, its astir important marketplace successful nan mid-sixties — nan U.S. — was cracking down connected emissions, and nan mini two-stroke wouldn't trim it. Saab wanted a replacement that would fresh wrong nan Sonett's mini fiberglass nose.

The solution came from Ford Germany's Taunus V4. Saab took nan 1.5-liter centrifugal and shoehorned it into nan Sonett's mini motor bay. However, nan V4 sat excessively high, truthful to accommodate it, Saab had to adhd a bulge to nan hood. The V4 made 60 horsepower, but successful a car pinch a lightweight fiberglass body that weighed little than 1,500 pounds, it was capable to propel nan Sonett II to 105 miles per hour.

The Sonett II was a unsocial drive. It retained Saab's freewheel strategy developed for its two-stroke engines, which allowed nan car to seashore without motor braking. The early models featured a column-shift manual transmission that moved to a floor-shifter assembly successful nan Sonet III, on pinch much aerodynamic bodywork. The V4 remained, though, until nan Sonett was discontinued successful 1974.

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Despite Lancia's checkered history, nan Fulvia is 1 of its finest creations. Produced from 1963 to 1976, nan Fulvia's V4 motor arguably group distant nan template for Volkswagen's highly-acclaimed VR6 engine. At a clip erstwhile different car makers were dabbling pinch V engines featuring 60-degree and 90-degree slope angles, nan Fulvia had a narrow-angle V4 wherever nan cylinders featured an offset of 12 degrees. This strange and clever design allowed some banks to stock a monolithic cylinder head. 

The benefits were nan capacity of a V4 motor and nan compactness and easy serviceability of an inline-four engine. The Fulvia's V4 was mounted astatine 45 degrees successful nan motor bay to support nan halfway of gravity low, and it sent powerfulness to nan beforehand wheels. The 1.1-liter V4 (later enlarged to 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter HF engines) featured a DOHC layout pinch copy broadside draught Solex carburetors. The Fulvia 1.6 produced anyplace from 113 to 165 horsepower while weighing successful astatine astir 1,820 pounds, making it a elephantine slayer successful rallying circuits.

Driving nan Fulvia was a astonishing experience. You'd expect it to heavy understeer, fixed really nan motor is placed truthful acold ahead. But it did thing of nan benignant acknowledgment to Lancia's sorted suspension tune. Even though nan motor sounds weirdly different, it emits nan mechanical growl of an inline-four astatine debased revs but changes tune arsenic nan revs rise. The motor won nan International Championship for Manufacturers successful 1972 for Lancia and is 1 of nan astir elegant applications of nan V4 configuration ever made. These cars were truthful typical that you'd beryllium compelled to wonderment if $27,500 is really a awesome value for an older model.

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The Ford Capri was launched successful Europe successful 1969 arsenic nan European balanced of nan Mustang, seeking to beryllium a stylish, affordable coupe for nan masses. The early-model entry-level and top-spec Mark-1 Capris could beryllium had pinch a V4 motor, depending connected which broadside of Europe you were in. The Capri was imported to nan U.S., but not arsenic a Ford; rather, it was sold arsenic a Mercury model. Its nameplate remained, but nan V4 motor didn't.

In nan U.K., nan Capri featured Kent 1.3 and 1.6-liter inline-fours, arsenic good arsenic a 2.0-liter Essex V4 (shared pinch nan Transit van) engine. Meanwhile, Ford Germany offered nan Capri pinch 1.3-liter, 1.5-liter, and 1.7-liter Taunus V4 engines. The smaller V4s offered decent capacity but lacked nan smoothness recovered successful nan inline-six engines recovered successful top-spec Capris. The Essex V4, meanwhile, offered bully capacity for its time, contempt offering 91 horsepower successful a car that weighed a tad complete 2200 pounds. It added to nan Capri's affordable character.

V4 Capris are a uncommon sight today, arsenic nan motor was quickly replaced by nan Pinto inline-four aliases nan much powerful Cologne V6 engines. Even so, nan Ford Capri Mk1 sits successful a pivotal timeline wherever Ford was committed to nan V4 engine. If things had gone differently, that motor could person changed nan people of automotive history.

Matra is simply a lesser-known automotive institution pinch an absorbing past. It was a French aerospace and weapons institution earlier it ventured into nan automotive business, yet winning races astatine Le Mans and Formula 1. The Matra M530, launched successful 1967, had shadows of nan automaker's past pinch a sanction that was based connected its former R.530 air-to-air missile. The M530 was a mid-engined 2+2 sports car, which made it a packaging nightmare. How do you fresh 4 individuals and an motor successful nan backmost of a car that's conscionable nether 14 feet long?

The reply was obvious: Use a V4. Matra turned to Ford Germany for propulsion, borrowing its 1.7-liter Taunus V4. Given nan engine's short dimensions, Matra could instal nan motor longitudinally down nan rear seats. This still near room for a usable trunk positive a targa top, which could beryllium stored nether nan beforehand hood.

The Matra M530 looked for illustration thing other connected nan road, boasting a low-slung fiberglass assemblage pinch pop-up headlights. It wasn't peculiarly quick, though, pinch apical velocity hovering astir 111 miles per hour. In fact, nan V4 was criticized for its insipid capacity successful a space-age sports car. But nan exemplary still impressed immoderate pinch its awesome dynamics. The Matra M530 was an oddball car that seemed to beryllium built for eccentric drivers. It didn't waste successful large numbers, but it went connected to go a superb illustration of really a V4 motor allowed designers to break nan rules of conveyance proportions.