Sure Mike, in response to your request for more info about it, the Ford
V8-60 was a smaller version of the larger Ford V8 Flathead of '32 to
'53. The V8-60 originated in the European Ford manufacturing plants and
Ford started to make it here and used it in the '37 to '40 models as a
small V-8 line intended for greater fuel economy. The V8-60 had 136
cubic inches and a 60 HP rating, compared with the 221 cubic inches and
85 HP rating of its bigger brother. The 60 engine complete weighed 400
lbs compared with 575 for the 85.
The V8-60 was sold in large numbers here, but eventually fell out of
favor for lack of hill-climbing and fast cruising power, so was dropped
in the American market after '40. But it continued to be manufactured
in the Ford plants of Europe up into the 1960s.
A lot of 60s were used for hydroplane and midget racing after World War
2 since they were plentiful and dirt cheap in the scrapyards by then,
and would run pretty fast with some inexpensive racing equipment, cams,
heads, dual carbs, mag, etc., not to mention the few sets of (not
inexpensive) Arduns mentioned before. Bill
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