Many Americans like myself believe that we should stick to the good ‘ole American way of doing things in the automotive industry. We shouldn’t be importing so many foreign made products from Europe, Japan, China, and all those others.

But they do have one thing going for them, especially European cars. Have you ever noticed that cars from Europe have surprisingly small displacement in their motors when compared to American automobiles? There’s a reason for this. In Europe, car buyers are taxed on their vehicle’s displacement, similar to a licensing fee here in the US. Naturally, people want to pay as little to the government as possible and thus, with help from insightful people like Enzo Ferrari, European auto manufacturers developed vehicles with very small displacement that were still incredibly fast and fuel efficient. In fact, the first vehicle produced by Ferrari, the 1947 125 S, was powered by a 1.5L V12. That’s right, a twelve-cylinder engine. Tiny cylinders, but they produce a considerable amount of power. So far from the huge displacement motors we see in America.

Kudos to Europe for the achievement, but here in America we have our own way of doing things. That’s not to say that you can’t prefer the European style of vehicles. You can prefer whatever you want. But history is history and which ever way you put it, American cars have always been known to have large motors. When you think of a classic American car, you don’t think of a Chevette or a Gremlin. You think of Mustangs, Corvettes, Camaros, Novas, Gran Torinos, Chargers, and Challengers. What do those cars have in common? Large motors.

Sadly, the modern era frowns upon large engines and subsequently has let them all but die out. The largest engine you’ll typically find in a modern muscle car is a 6.2L, now that seems large, but it’s still just a small block when compared to the large motors of yesteryear.

By: Matthew B. Bailey