When it comes to the topic of the most powerful V8 engine, everyone has their own answer, such as the HEMI V8, LS V8, and AMG V8.
However, the V8 engine I am referring to not only has the powerful performance of the above V8 engines, but is also recognised as the most successful engine in history. In fact, its creation laid the foundation for the current design of Formula One engines.
This groundbreaking V8 engine is the Cosworth DFV V8.
How was the Cosworth DFV V8 engine born?
In 1966, the FIA decided to increase the engine displacement from 1.5 litres to 3.0 litres to boost horsepower and speed in Formula 1. However, many top teams like Ferrari and BRM believed that to increase horsepower within the fixed 3.0-litre displacement, the engine would need at least 12 cylinders, or even 16 cylinders.
In simple terms, the more cylinders an engine has within a fixed displacement, the easier it is to achieve higher RPMs, and the overall combustion efficiency of the engine also improves, allowing for greater horsepower. However, such engines with an extremely high number of cylinders were not accepted by many top drivers.
At the time, engines with 12 or 16 cylinders not only suffered from excessive weight, leading to poor handling, but also resulted in significantly increased fuel consumption, higher failure rates, and various other drawbacks!
How did the Cosworth DFV V8 engine solve this problem?
At the time, there was an unconventional engine designer, DKeith Duckworth (there was actually another designer: Mike Costin), who re-examined these issues using first principles.
He believed that improving the overall combustion efficiency of the engine did not necessarily require more cylinders; instead, by enhancing the combustion efficiency of each individual cylinder and reducing the number of unnecessary cylinders, the overall combustion efficiency could still be very high. The question was, how to improve the combustion efficiency of each cylinder?
First, compared to the two-valve configuration commonly used in F1 at the time, Duckworth boldly adopted the then-unproven four-valve technology, changing from one intake and one exhaust valve to two intake and two exhaust valves.
This significantly improved the combustion efficiency of each cylinder, allowing the engine to breathe more smoothly and thus produce higher power output. Therefore, DFV stands for Double Four Valve. (The engine is a 90° V8 engine with a displacement of 2,993 cc, and bore and stroke dimensions of 85.67 × 64.90 millimetres (3.373 × 2.555 inches).
Additionally, it no longer relied on the traditional approach of increasing engine speed but instead leveraged the larger gas intake and exhaust volumes of the four-valve system and its lighter valve mass. Therefore, it adopted a Pent-Roof combustion chamber, which, compared to the commonly used hemispherical combustion chambers of the time, could more effectively arrange the valves and spark plugs through its sloped design, further improving gas flow and fuel combustion efficiency within the cylinder.
Combined with reduced rotational inertia at high RPMs, more precise ignition timing, and improved exhaust efficiency, this engine was at least a decade ahead of its time. (The initial DFV engine produced 400 horsepower, while the later turbocharged DFX version exceeded 840 horsepower.)
The achievements of the Cosworth DFV V8 engine.
At the time, engines with 12 or 16 cylinders were common, but they had several drawbacks. In addition to being too heavy, which affected handling, they also increased fuel consumption and caused a higher failure rate.
Yet, 57 years ago, the DFV engine outperformed 12-cylinder and 16-cylinder engines with just 8 cylinders, achieving an astonishing 11,500 RPM (limited to 9,000 RPM for durability). Its concepts, such as the 4-valve high-RPM compact design, left a profound impact on contemporary F1 and the automotive industry.
More revolutionarily, due to the DFV engine's exceptionally high overall rigidity, it could be directly used as the rear chassis structure. Compared to traditional race cars like Ferrari, which had load-bearing rear chassis, the DFV could drastically reduce weight, and this design philosophy is still used today.
Even more astonishingly, out of the 29 teams participating in F1 in 1974, 27 of them used the DFV V8 engine. So when you see an F1 race car with an unusual design but don't know what engine it uses, there's no doubt it's likely using the DFV engine.
Over the ten years since its debut, race cars using the DFV engine have won an astonishing 108 championships. However, with the rise of turbocharged engines and Ferrari's technological advancements in engine development, the DFV engine, with its 8-cylinder naturally aspirated design, began to lag significantly in horsepower. By 1977, it had lost its competitive edge and was forced to step down from its pedestal.
Surprisingly, just one year later (1978), it was reintroduced by many teams. This was likely due to its 90-degree V8 design, which gave the DFV engine a Y-shaped structure.
Venturi tubes could be conveniently arranged on both sides of the car body, so in the Ground Effect era after 1978, the naturally aspirated DFV V8 engine not only defeated the turbocharged engines of the time, but also beat the Ferrari 180-degree V12 engine. Therefore, the DFV engine remained in use until 1986, accumulating a total of 131 points and 155 championships over nearly 20 years.
Its variant model, the DFX, also secured two Le Mans championships and ten consecutive INDY500 victories, conquering some of the most prestigious automotive races on the planet.
Therefore, the Cosworth DFV is regarded as the best V8 engine because it not only boasts exceptional performance but also represents a significant milestone for engine designers, the V8 engine series, and civilian V8 engines!
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