Triumph V8

Last updated

Triumph V8
TriumphStagV8.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Triumph Motor Company
Production1971 - 1977
Layout
Displacement 2,997 cc (182.9 cu in)
Cylinder bore 86 mm (3.386 in)
Piston stroke 64.5 mm (2.539 in)
Cylinder block material Cast iron
Cylinder head materialAluminium
Valvetrain SOHC per bank
Compression ratio 8.8:1
Combustion
Fuel systemCarburettor
Fuel type Petrol
Oil system Wet sump
Cooling system Water-cooled
Output
Power output 145 bhp (108 kW) @5500 rpm
Torque output 170 lb⋅ft (230 N⋅m) @3500 rpm
Triumph Stag with its original V8 engine TriumphStag-engine.jpg
Triumph Stag with its original V8 engine

The Triumph V8 is a 3.0 litre V8 developed and built by the Triumph Motor Company for the Triumph Stag. The engine was a development of the Triumph slant-four engine. It consisted of a cast iron block and aluminium cylinder heads with a single overhead cam per bank. [1]

Contents

Development

The Stag was developed between 1964 and 1969. Whilst originally seen as little more than a convertible version of the Triumph 2000 saloon, as development progressed the Stag gained its own identity until the final design shared no body panels or pressings with the 2000. The Stag was intended to use Triumph's existing 2.5-litre straight-6 engine. When the Stag design evolved into a grand tourer rather than a more conventional sports car it became clear that a more powerful, more refined engine was needed.

As far back as 1963 the designer of the Triumph Slant-4 engine, Lewis Dawtrey, had foreseen the possibility that the engine design could be 'doubled-up' to create a V8 unit. This was not a unique approach; Vauxhall had followed a similar strategy, designing its own slant-4 so that two could be joined to make a V8 (which, ultimately, Vauxhall did not pursue). Whilst at this point the engine had only been produced in 1.7-litre form by Triumph for sale to Saab, the basic design of the engine enabled capacities as low as 1.2-litres to be built. Triumph revived the V8 concept, initially settling on a 2.5-litre engine (in essence two 1.2-litre versions of the slant-4) with mechanical fuel injection provided by Bosch.

Following the take-over of Rover by Leyland Motors in 1967 Spen King was placed in charge of product development at Triumph. The V8's Bosch fuel injection was running into numerous difficulties in development and King was unable to convince Leyland to divert extra funds to Triumph to solve the problems. Instead, King dropped the fuel injection in favour of twin Zenith-Stromberg carburetors. To maintain the required power output the capacity was increased to 3-litres, which then entailed modification to the Stag's other drivetrain systems including the gearbox, back axle and brakes. This relatively 'last-minute' capacity increase was achieved by expanding the bore of the engine instead of the stroke, which explains the Triumph V8's unusual 'oversquare' internal dimensions.

Design

As launched in 1970 the Triumph V8 had several innovative features. As well as its unusual construction (the crankcase and cylinder block were made from chromium iron whilst the cylinder heads were aluminium alloy), the engine featured a unique arrangement of studs and bolts attaching the cylinderheads that allowed the cylinderheads to be removed (in design, not in reality) without firstly removing the overhead camshafts and disturbing the valveplay adjustment. The water pump, oil pump and distributor were all driven at their required speeds from a single jackshaft driven from the timing chain via sets of skew-cut gears. The cooling fan was a 16-blade plastic item driven through a hydraulic viscous coupling that limited fan speed to 2,500 rpm to reduce noise as well as controlling the fan speed in relation to engine temperature.

Potential other uses

Triumph originally intended their V8 to be used across their range, which was the reason for the company's willingness to fund the engine's high development costs. Plans were made to create a 'Triumph 3000' by fitting the engine into the 2000 saloon, but these plans were halted when Rover joined Triumph in the Leyland grouping as the resulting car would have been a direct competitor for the Rover 'P6' 3500. Triumph also tried to sell the engine to the Morgan Motor Company but that company chose the Rover V8 as well. It is believed that Saab tested the V8 for the Saab 99 mainly for US markets but the oil crisis in 1973 finally caused cancellation of the project in favour of turbocharging, and no documents of the project nor any prototypes have survived. The result was the V8 remained unique to the Stag.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover Company</span> Former British car company

The Rover Company Limited was a British car manufacturing company that operated from its base in Solihull in Warwickshire. Its lasting reputation for quality and performance was such that its first postwar model reviewed by Road & Track in 1952 was pronounced finer than any but a Rolls-Royce. Rover also manufactured the Land Rover series from 1948 onwards, which spawned the Range Rover in 1970, and went on to become its most successful and profitable product — with Land Rover eventually becoming a separate company and brand in its own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Marina</span> Motor vehicle

The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Morris product line, which had first been built in 1948. The Marina was also sold in some markets as the Austin Marina, the Leyland Marina and the Morris 1700.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph Motor Company</span> British car manufacturing company, 1885–1984

The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company in the 19th and 20th centuries. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg formed S. Bettmann & Co. and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them under his own trade name in London. The trade name became "Triumph" the following year, and in 1887 Bettmann was joined by a partner, Moritz Schulte, also from Germany. In 1889, the businessmen started producing their own bicycles in Coventry, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph Stag</span> Motor vehicle

The Triumph Stag is a 2+2 sports tourer which was sold between 1970 and 1978 by the British Triumph Motor Company, styled by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover 800 series</span> Motor vehicle

The Rover 800 series is an executive car range manufactured by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland, and its successor the Rover Group from 1986 to 1999. It was also marketed as the Sterling in the United States. Co-developed with Honda, it was a close relative to the Honda Legend and the successor to the decade-old Rover SD1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyland P76</span> Motor vehicle

The Leyland P76 is a large car that was produced by Leyland Australia, the Australian subsidiary of British Leyland. Featuring what was described at the time as the "standard Australian wheelbase of 111 inches", it was intended to provide the company with a genuine rival to large local models like the Ford Falcon, the Holden Kingswood, and the Chrysler Valiant. But, due to the first real fuel crisis and demand far exceeding the supply, Leyland rushed the assembly process with the first of the P76s to come off the assembly line, resulting in poor build quality and some reliability problems. The combination of the rushed assembly, fuel crisis and strikes at the component manufacturers' factories, resulted in the Leyland P76 being labelled a lemon, despite receiving the Wheels magazine Car of the Year in 1973. By 1974, sales of the P76 had slumped and BMC decided to end the production of the P76. Although the P76 has been labelled a lemon in Australian motoring history, it is viewed by some as an iconic Australian car and has a loyal following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coventry Climax</span> British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer

Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other speciality engine manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover V8 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder block and cylinder heads, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. It has been used in a wide range of vehicles from Rover and other manufacturers since its British debut in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph TR8</span> Motor vehicle

The Triumph TR8, eight-cylinder version of the "wedge-shaped" Triumph TR7 sports car was designed by Harris Mann and manufactured by British Leyland (BL), through its Jaguar/Rover/Triumph (JRT) division. Because of its outstanding performance, the TR8 was often dubbed the "English Corvette". The majority of TR8s were sold in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover SD1</span> Motor vehicle

The Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by the Specialist Division, and finally the Austin Rover division of British Leyland from 1976 until 1986, when it was replaced by the Rover 800. The SD1 was marketed under various names. In 1977 it won the European Car of the Year title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph slant-four engine</span> Inline four-cylinder petrol car engine

The Triumph slant-four is an inline four-cylinder petrol car engine developed by the Triumph Motor Company. It first appeared in 1968 in the Saab 99. The first Triumph model to use the engine did not appear until 1972. With an original capacity of 1.7 L, displacement grew over time to 2.0 L. Triumph production ended in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph 2000</span> Motor vehicle

The Triumph 2000 is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive automobile which was produced in Coventry by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. It was introduced on 15 October 1963. It was styled by Giovanni Michelotti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford AJD-V6/PSA DT17</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Ford AJD engine was first developed as a V6 with a clean-sheet architecture and variable valve timing by Ford of Europe for its then subsidiaries Jaguar Cars and Land Rover, as well as for its partner PSA Peugeot Citroën working under the Gemini joint development and production agreement. It is called the AJD-V6 in the Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles and the DT17/DT20 by Citroën and Peugeot. The engines share the same bore/stroke ratio, with the V6 displacing 2.7 L (2,720 cc) and the V8 displacing 3.6 L (3,630 cc). The V6 was launched in 2004 and the V8 in 2006. The V6 engine meets the Euro IV emissions standards. A DT20 3.0 L (2,993 cc) was added in 2009 and is based on the DT17 2.7 L (2,720 cc). The V6 is used across many vehicles, from the Citroën C5 and C6, to the Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover, multiple cars in the Jaguar range, and also the Ford Territory and next gen Ford Ranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saab H engine</span> Automobile engine; redesign of the Saab B

The Saab H engine is a redesign of the Saab B engine, which in turn was based on the Triumph Slant-4 engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus 900 series</span> Series of engines developed by Lotus

The Lotus 900 series is a family of internal combustion engines designed and built by Lotus Cars of United Kingdom. Successor to the Lotus-Ford Twin Cam, the 900 was the first complete engine developed by Lotus. The engine was built from 1972 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover P6</span> Motor vehicle

The Rover P6 series is a saloon car produced by Rover and subsequently British Leyland from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull, Warwickshire, England, UK.

The L-series engine is an automotive diesel engine built by Powertrain Ltd, a sister company of MG Rover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler V8 engines</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

Daimler V-8 engines were designed for the Daimler Company by Edward Turner and produced from 1959 to 1969. Initially used in the SP250 sports car and the Majestic Major saloon, the engine was mostly used in the Daimler 2.5 V8 saloon made with Jaguar Mark 2 unit bodies from 1962 to 1969. Approximately 20,000 of the 2.5-litre version of the engine were made for use in the SP250 and the 250 saloon, while approximately 2,000 of the 4.5-litre version were made for use in the Majestic Major saloon and its limousine variant which remained in production until 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Rover engines</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

Engines used by the British company Land Rover in its 4×4 vehicles have included four-cylinder petrol engines, and four- and five-cylinder diesel engines. Straight-six cylinder engines have been used for Land Rover vehicles built under licence. Land Rover has also used various four-cylinder, V8, and V6 engines developed by other companies, but this article deals only with engines developed specifically for Land Rover vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triumph I6</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Triumph Six Cylinder or Triumph I6 engine is a cast-iron overhead valve straight-six engine produced by Standard Triumph. It is an evolution of the Standard Motor Company's inline-4 Standard Eight, with the addition of two cylinders and a larger displacement.

References

  1. "Triumph's V8: The worst engine ever made".