Flathead Ford

The 90-degree ‘flathead’ V8 was so named for its then-common design of an inverted L-shaped head, with inlet and exhaust valves mounted in the side of the onepiece block-and-head casting. It wasn’t efficient, but with 3622cc and 49kw/176nm, the Fords were still about 120kg lighter than fourand six-cylinder rivals. Outputs stepped up quickly to 56kw, then 63kw. The three-speed manual gearbox boasted synchromesh on second and third gears.