T
here’s little in the motoring universe which
beats the sound of a V8 engine, although
it’s interesting to see how long some
makers resisted it. Jaguar for instance
took until the ’90s to relent, the traditional feeling
at Browns Lane being that a V8 couldn’t provide
the refi nement of the fi rm’s long-serving straight-six
powerplants. The same philosophy was employed
at BMW from the ’60s until the mid ’90s but in
both cases it was the competition which forced a
change in tack. Lexus had proved that a V8 could
be as refi ned as even the mighty Jaguar V12 and
so the rest of the executive market followed.
Closer to home, we’ve had plenty of V8 offerings
from British marques, most of them relying on
the familiar ex-Buick Rover engine. From the fi rst
outing in the Rover P5 to the end of its production
in the Range Rover P38a, it powered Triumphs,
Land Rovers, MGs, Morgans and TVRs as well as
countless other low-volume cars.
All of which means there’s an abundance of
choice if you fancy taking advantage of that 99p
a litre supermarket fuel. Here we round up a
dozen likely suspects across four decades.
BUYING V8 CLASSICS
With fuel prices now back to the levels of last century, there’s never been a better
time to sample V8 power in your classic. We round up a dozen contenders.
Words: Paul Wager
alternative though in the shape of the Daimler V8 which used the Edward
Turner-designed V8 engine in the Mk2 bodyshell, the idea being to offer a
less racy, more genteel version of the Mk2 with less of the bank robber
connotations.
The Daimler engine is a superb creation and was pretty much the only
part of the mainstream Daimler car business to survive the takeover by
Jaguar. The cars are outwardly almost identical save for the crinkly Daimler
chrome fi ttings, but the driving experience is very different. The woofl ing
exhaust note is more civilised than the Rover V8 and in manual form gives
the Mk2 performance on a par with the 3.4. Most, however were automatic
which suited the nature of the car – and its intended market – very well.
Jaguar didn’t offer the car with the larger version of the Daimler V8 but had
it done so it would have been a real hot rod, truly eclipsing the 3.8.
Prices of the V8 have historically been lower than the bigger XK-engined
Mk2s, putting them on a par with the 2.4 and 240, but interest has started
to rise, making now the time to buy.
ONE TO BUY
1965 Daimler 2.5 V8
Due to go under the hammer at
Brightwells as we went to press, this
Daimler was originally sold new in
Auckland and spent its life in New
Zealand before returning home last year. An automatic example, it comes
with an MoT until October and the parts to tidy up the tired interior. If you’re
happy to get stuck in, the guide price of £4500-£5500 is an attractive
entry to the Mk2 club.
ROVER P6
£800-£7500
3528cc 150 bhp 122 mph
This issue sees us sampling the fi rst of the Rovers to use the ex-Buick V8
in the shape of the P5B and the recipe was repeated when the futuristic
P6 (launched in 1963) acquired the V8 engine in 1968. The P6 had already
been well received by the press for its novel design, neat road manners
and modern style but the Rover four-cylinder engine was losing ground
1960s
JENSEN C-V8
£5000-£20,000
6286cc 330 bhp 140 mph
In the ’60s, there were fewer V8-powered cars offered by British makers,
but on the other hand the Rover V8 had yet to become the dominant power
unit and the market offered a choice of US engines plus Daimler’s newly
designed unit as well as the Buick motor.
The Jensen C-V8 was an interesting creature and in many ways set the
template for the later Interceptor as a large, luxurious GT with an American
engine. Introduced in 1962, the C-V8 was a development of the 541 series
of cars but used a revised chassis to accommodate a 5.9-litre Chrysler
V8. Unsurprisingly the Chrysler motor transformed the car’s performance
over the Austin straight-six powered 541 and when the 330 bhp 6.3-litre
version of the Chrysler hemi was fi tted from 1964, Jensen created one of
the world’s fastest GTs.
Today the C-V8 commands strong money but less so than the
Interceptor and it offers a more delicate ’60s style which the futuristic
Vignale-styled Interceptor lacks.
ONE TO BUY
1964 Jensen C-V8
An impressively original C-V8, this car
was originally sold in the UK then lived
in US and Austrian museums before
being sold in Italy and heading back
home in 2013. Reunited with its original number and having undergone
a recommissioning from Jensen specialists Cropredy Bridge, it’s a great
example. More details from http://www.classicmobilia.com.
DAIMLER V8
£3000-£9500
2548cc 140 bhp 112 mph
Everybody loves the Jaguar Mk2 and it will always be one of our favourites
at CCM... but they are a bit obvious as a classic choice. There is an
70 Classic Car Mart Spring 2016