For all the talk of EV mandates and changing tastes, there’s a long future for the V8 in the United States. It has proven to be the right mill for the kinds of big trucks and SUVs that make up a large portion of America’s fleet, and an even larger portion of automaker profits. Just ask General Motors.
The company announced today that it’ll put $888 million in its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in upstate New York in order to build the company’s next-generation V8. Let’s hope it works out better than the current truck V8.
The Morning Dump was delayed this morning as I rushed to get up news of a new Stellantis CEO. I suggested he’d face many problems, and right at the top is the announcement that the company’s cockpit tie-up with Amazon isn’t happening. Oh well. It could be worse. Four Volkswagen execs are going to jail over their role in Dieselgate, which makes a scuttled deal seem not quite as bad by comparison.
What’s the harder job? CEO of Nissan or CEO of Stellantis? Today, Stellantis is looking a little better, as Nissan is going to have to probably sell its HQ and heavily restructure in order to survive into the future. Perhaps John Bull can help.
$888 Million To Tonawanda For More V8s
My guess is that GM wasn’t planning to walk away from its Tonawanda plant, which has been pumping out engines for the company since 1937. It even served as a key part of the Arsenal of Democracy, producing over 64,000 engines for various Allied planes, including the B-24 Liberator. Still, with all the tariff talk, it doesn’t hurt to announce an investment in the United States right now.
It’s been pumping out motors basically continuously for almost 90 years, and the automaker says it’s ready to make its biggest ever engine plant investment, $888 million, in the Buffalo-area facility to produce its next-generation V8 for trucks and SUVs. Sweet. Why $888 million? Clearly, it’s a tribute to the Triple Eight Race Engineering firm that races V8 Camaros in Australia’s Supercars Championship. Probably.
“Our significant investments in GM’s Tonawanda Propulsion plant show our commitment to strengthening American manufacturing and supporting jobs in the U.S.,” said Mary Barra, Chair and CEO. “GM’s Buffalo plant has been in operation for 87 years and is continuing to innovate the engines we build there to make them more fuel efficient and higher performing, which will help us deliver world-class trucks and SUVs to our customers for years to come.”
What do we know about this engine? Not much. It’ll be the sixth-generation V8 that’s planned for big trucks and SUVs like the Silverado, Yukon, Escalade, et cetera. The company says in a release that it’s “expected to deliver stronger performance than today’s engines while benefiting fuel economy and reducing emissions. New combustion and thermal management innovations are a key factor driving these improvements.”
Previously, GM announced a big investment in its Flint Engine plant, which also produces V8s. The third plant making the company’s small block V8s is in Toluca, Mexico.
There may be at least one other factor at play here. GM had to recall about 600,000 of its current L87 6.2-liter V8s due to defective rotating assembly parts, resulting in a lot of engine failures. Tonawanda is going to need about two years to get ready for the next-generation engine, and, as the Detroit Free Press points out, the current generation engine is under investigation. It’s possible that GM will need to keep making engines to potentially replace some of its current V8s.
RIP Stellantis-Amazon SmartCockpit
Did I even remember that Stellantis and Amazon at one point agreed to make a new smart cockpit for its cars to compete, I presume, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? I did not. Stellantis has a new CEO, and the Amazon deal is reportedly dead.
Here’s a bit from the announcement of the project back in 2022:
“Working together with Amazon is an integral part of our capability building roadmap, based on both developing internal competencies and decisive collaborations with tech leaders, and it will bring significant expertise to one of our key technology platforms, STLA SmartCockpit,” said Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis. “By leveraging artificial intelligence and cloud solutions, we will transform our vehicles into personalized living spaces and enhance the overall customer experience, making our vehicles the most wanted, most captivating place to be, even when not driving.”
Huh. Ok. What does that mean?
Amazon and Stellantis will collaborate to deliver software for STLA SmartCockpit, which will run in millions of Stellantis vehicles globally starting in 2024. The software-defined platform will seamlessly integrate with customers’ digital lives to create personalized, intuitive in-vehicle experiences through AI-enhanced applications for entertainment, Alexa-enabled voice assistance, navigation, vehicle maintenance, ecommerce marketplaces and payment services.
The STLA SmartCockpit platform will use Amazon products and solutions that are purpose-built for vehicles, and Stellantis will have the flexibility to create custom, brand- and vehicle-specific capabilities. The software will offer curated services and experiences through an app store, all displayed through an intelligent, adaptive, user-interface design that presents timely, relevant information and features suited to each occupant’s individual needs and preferences.
I don’t want to dog on Stellantis too much here, because Software-Defined Vehicles are definitely a thing. Amazon seems like a questionable partner for it, all things considered, but it was a worthwhile shot. So why didn’t it work? According to Reuters, it’s a little vague:
Reuters couldn’t determine any singular reason the partnership on SmartCockpit ended. The companies said the shift “will allow each team to focus on solutions that provide value to our shared customers and better align with our evolving strategies.”
Relative newcomers, like Elon Musk’s Tesla, built electrical and software systems that can quickly deliver new features or fixes to customers at a lower cost to the company. Traditional carmakers, including Volkswagen and General Motors, have struggled to master these systems on their own, and have been poaching talent from Silicon Valley or forming partnerships in an effort to reverse that trend.
Unlike Tesla which has very little complexity across its smaller lineup of vehicles, Stellantis manages dozens of models across 14 brands and a maze of global suppliers, increasing the challenges around implementing new software.
To be competitive, Stellantis will need something like this. Perhaps it can just latch onto Rivian’s software like Volkswagen did.
Four More VW Execs Are Going To Jail Over Dieselgate
The Volkswagen emissions scandal, known as Dieselgate, is almost ten years old. After four years of trials, four VW employees have been sentenced to jail.
The former head of development Heinz-Jakob Neusser received a suspended jail term of one year and three months from the court in the city of Braunschweig, according to the news agency Bloomberg.
A former head of drive electronics, named only as Hanno J, was given a sentence of two years and seven months, German media reported.
The heaviest sentence, of four years and six months, was given to the former head of diesel motor development Jens H, while the fourth defendant was given a suspended sentence of one year and 10 months. The defendants can appeal against the rulings.
Then-VW CEO Martin Winterkorn has yet to go on trial, due to his ongoing health issues. My guess is that he probably never goes on trial.
Nissan Is Shaking Down Britain For A Loan
The British car industry is so hot right now, and it looks like a struggling Nissan is going to use the fact that the country’s largest car plant happens to be a Nissan one to get a little money.
Nissan is seeking to take out a £1 billion ($1.4 billion) syndicated loan, guaranteed by UK Export Finance, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, after viewing internal company documents. It’s part of a broader plan to raise more than ¥1 trillion ($7 billion) from debt and asset sales considering the carmaker faces a huge loan repayment wall next year.
Various financial institutions have been lined up to contribute to the facility, which will comprise one of the largest components of Nissan’s planned fundraising. UK Export Finance, a government body that aids UK businesses export goods and services by providing financial support, has helped in the past with financing for high-speed rail construction in Turkey and infrastructure in Angola.
Extending a lifeline to Nissan makes sense considering the Japanese car manufacturer operates Britain’s largest automaking hub in Sunderland. Nissan has committed to boost electric vehicle production there with a £2 billion investment and the British government has hailed the project as a vote of confidence in the country’s automotive industry after years of uncertainty following Brexit.
Nissan is also looking to sell its Japanese headquarters to try to raise enough money to pay its bills.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Speaking of the UK, here’s the country’s hottest band (in my world at least), Wet Leg, with the new song “CPR.” Are they in an old Volkswagen? Looks like it.
The Big Question
How long will the V8 survive? Follow up: What’s the best GM V8 ever?
Top image credit: GM
As long as it legally can in the US.
Oldsmobile 455, really only because the UPP.
I think the Toronado would have been a better car with a Chevy 350 or 454. Really there is a massive argument for GM standardizing around the Chevy 350 and 454 when it comes to small block and big block V8s back in the day.
I really thought the v8 was dead I’m more into straight 6s anyway. But there are always those people yelling for V8s and think they are the best. With the emissions roll back allegedly coming and people still somewhat in into them I guess it will be around for a while. Allegedly the hemi is going back into production too. I saw an interview with the guy who make the kits that fix alot of the Ford and gm transmissions. He basically said while we all want a car built like a 90s Toyota he doesn’t see it happening and the best thing you can do is buy what you like then fix the known issues from the start. There is something very profound about that but how many people can afford to do that. I guess there are people that go out but new trucks and sink $30k into making them look stupid and no longer serve their intended purposes so should be able to buy a new car or truck and sink $5k into it to make it reliable in the future. I seem to recall some people pre bulliet proofing their 6.0 power stokes at about 5k miles maybe some even lower so I guess not a new concept just a sad state of things. The whole GM afm / Cylinder deactivation goes well with diesel gate I think. I’ve always questioned if you have engines granading and you either have to replace or in many cases just throw the whole vehicle away as it’s mechanically totaled is really better for the environment. Those diesel gate tdis got great fuel economy and we know the diesel emissions systems are hard to engines is the constant throwing away actually better. I’ve asked eco and EPA scientists and they ponder and don’t really have answers. It also seems like repowering an old car with a more efficient power train is better the the environment yet that is frowned upon and sometimes even not allowed.
“It also seems like repowering an old car with a more efficient power train is better the the environment”
Maybe IF the fuel system and all emissions controls are carried over as well. I imagine a modern V8 topped with an old carburetor and no cats is going to be just as smelly and as thirsty as whatever old V8 was replaced.
Older chassis aren’t great for safety though. Especially if the brakes are left stock.
Getting rid of whatever boat anchor was in the old car and even if you went after market fuel injected with after market cats for a car that probably is driven once a week at most plus the 20 year old or so doner vehicle is off the road where it was probably on the road at least 5 days a week. Has to be a net loss in pollution even without factoring in the stored carbon / pollution in the materials.
I imagine a 1970s land yacht with sumptuous overstuffed Corinthian leather interior, active suspension, modern tires and a modern drive train with a Jatco Xtronic CVT would be the ultimate in restomod luxury.
Leaf swaps are slow becoming a thing. K car with an Altima drive train including the Jatco could be the ticket. I have a feeling that might exist in the back woods of Mississippi or Tennessee. Curbed Altima rims and trunk full of dismembered speak-n-spells and all.
I dunno if a K car would be my choice* when there are so many other, better choices.
Chrysler Cordoba, a Lincoln MkIV, Chrysler New Yorker, Cadillac El Dorado, Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Centurion, so many to choose from.
*A Jon Voight Lebanon would the the exception.
I was thinking loaded 2 door LeBaron. Maybe the maserati. Maybe early 60s Galaxie , or a grimlin or a vega.
If its got soft Corinthian leather or even Mark Cross leather I’m in.
Should be able to be sourced with some moist Corinthian leather
I Do Cars had a teardown of a failed L87 affected by the recall and it’s worth watching. It sure looks like a manufacturing issue rather than a design problem, which makes sense because the very similar L84 doesn’t seem to have the same issue. There was also some interesting discussion of why it took so long to find, which was apparently due to a lot of the early failures being in engines that had been abused (What?! People abuse truck engines?! Shocking!).
It’s also a rather interesting teardown because of the sheer number of trashed bearings. Impressive carnage and some fun detective work to figure out how it happened.
Also convinced me that I’ll never touch a recalled L87 with a 0W-40 oil cap because there’s no way thicker oil fixes the problem. At best it may delay the failure, but you can’t fix improper machining with oil. It’s nonsense and I will remember it next time I am in the market for a truck, GM.
Interestingly, Engineering Explained and Motor Oil Geek have videos indicating you pretty much can fix improper machining with oil. Mainly by increasing the film thickness to prevent rough surfaces from contacting. I was skeptical that would be a valid fix but they do explain it well.
the real concern would be how much damage was done before they swapped the sticker. I can imagine that water thin oil along with extended oil change cycles and variable pressure oil pumps to save 2 tenths of a MPG is al in all a terrible recipe for disaster over time to me. But I also did not sit in on the DFMEA Process and longevity testing cycles.
I was told by someone in oil research some time ago that real time video of oil under pressure showed that at some point you have metal to metal contact, and lighter weight, high temperature oil reduced the time that contact occurs.
Is it true they outsourced the cranks from GM Tonawanda to a supplier in Mexico leading to this problem?
I’ll bet it’s this or something similar.
The best GM V8 was the Buick 401 Nailhead. It’s the only engine good enough to power the start cart for the world’s fastest airplane, the SR-71 Blackbird.
There’s one on display at the Boeing museum in Seattle.
All the torques.
There is supposed to be an SR-72
Codename:Aurora.
I’m guessing you’ve read Blank Spots on the Map?
And James Bamford.
Let’s just say I have connections… I am a little out of this world myself
Blank Spots is mostly about how gaps in information can be used deductively.
I’m more of an enthusiast in flight and aerospace, but always curious.
Met a NASA whiz kid completely through the racing world.
Easily the happiest person I ever met.
Ive got some stories.
Ackchyually…
“Mounted on a trolley, Buick 425s were also used as starter motors for the SR-71 Blackbird supersonic jet.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V8_engine
This talk of V8s being produced forever just makes me imagine the last few humans left on Earth banding together in search of somewhere suitable to try to rebuild. They hear a factory off in the distance and head toward it. A working factory must mean food and water. They arrive to find a fully automated factory just assembling new V8 engines and disassembling them to keep making more. There is no food, no clean water, no hope for humanity…but the V8 lives on.
You will need a carburetor factory too – most likely electronics in the end of times will be toast.
“Tonawanda is going to need about two years to get ready for the next-generation engine”
Right! Because the MAGA destruction of environmental and fuel efficiency standards will last for ever and there will be a golden age of 10c per gallon gas. $888M well invested with great certainty on a mythical future.
Do you need help? Please dial 988 from any phone.
,”I want a car that runs on dreams and starlight!”
Maria Bamford, Philosopher
I’m required as a 1968 Oldsmobile owner to advocate for the big block Olds V8 as GM’s greatest. The muscle car era was a time when the divisions still had a lot of autonomy, so they tried like crazy to one-up each other’s engines. The 400/425/455 Olds was an awesome engine. Not just for horsepower and torque, but it also looks damn cool in an engine bay with it’s wide intake manifold and the way its accessory belts spread out.
When is someone going to horizontalize one of those new Honda V8 outboards and slam it in a civic.
How about the merc V-12?
I know we’re having fun talking about V8s, but could we pause to make fun of STLA for a sec?
People want safe cars that drive reasonably well, with reasonably good fuel economy, at reasonable prices. People don’t want gesture or voice control, or ambient lights and smells, or the ability to play a video game on the infotainment screen when the car is parked. The fact that Stellantis, of all companies, thought that focusing on creating a native infotainment software system was going to be their big money maker is … very indicative of their current woes.
I want my car to dispense fresh ice cream and give me a pedicure while I watch cat videos on the screens.
I don’t get that video game nonsense, anyway. When you shut off the engine in a lot of modern cars, the ECU goes into energy saver mode after a few minutes that shuts off even a simple radio (“simple”—it probably requires 6 ECUs to run for it to be on nowadays). How are people gaming? Maybe they were planning it as part of an all EV future.
Somewhat unexpectedly my Elise really loves the gesture control in the new car. But we need to program a couple more gestures – which requires finding the directions and likely a bunch of curse words…
sadly no, people are more than happy to pay for all that trash in vehicles so it shall remain and get worse over time.
I haven’t heard a single person happy with Dodge truck screens.
WOW, I could of had a V8
under-rated comment!
have, but yes
The header image really makes me bummed, because I rather like the Silverado ZR2 and was thinking I might buy one in a few years when the prices reach rational amounts on the used market. Unfortunately, since they only came with the 6.2L (or the diesel, which isn’t the power train I am interested in), that may make things interesting a few years down the road.
As for best GM V8, I think the pre-AFM LS engines. I’ve owned dozens of GM V8s of all generations of big block and small blocks, and that generation of LS motors has the best balance of good power, reliability, and (relative) low complexity.
I would probably second this sentiment on the Pre-AFM LS motors. Though some might say the SBC in general would lump that LS into the fold.
Though a bunch would say the Toyota 4.7 UZ-FE motor was as reliable if not more than the Ford 4.6 2 valve while also much more powerful. It would be a worthy mention.
The only GM V8 I’ve owned is the 260 that was in my parents 76 Cutlass. Not an engine you brag about except maybe for its longevity. Ok, there was a 283 in their 67 Malibu wagon prior to that but I was too young to ever drive it…
I’d like to own something with a SBC or LS someday because they are legendary engines but I prefer straight sixes. Have 3 in the fleet right now.
Lots of fans of the Southern Baptist Convention in the comments, apparently. I guess if people can get this excited about a new Pope, the Protestants deserve some equal time, too.
Don’t worry kids, GM will do as they always have done and assign only the world’s finest
engineersaccountants to build these new power plants.When GM had product plans to go 100% battery electric, I assume they lost a large `amount of ICE experience and talent (both engineering and manufacturing) to retirement and resignations. Only an insider could tell us if this has resulted in the 6 liter engine fiasco.
GM V8s just work. I understand the investment and I have loved every SBC I’ve owned.
I can also see a scenario where they 1/2 the v8 and make a very capable, well breathing, easy to turbo inline 4 that reuses the head, which is going to save a pile of money.
They already have the 2.7T, which has similar L/cyl as the 5.3L. I wonder if they’ll consider making a V6 version by chopping off 2 cylinders.
The new 4.3? That was just a 5.7x.75.
biggest question I suppose will be whether they try to revisit the 70’s with truly tiny displacement v8’s, and if they do will they throw on a lower rent supercharger since the Vette will likely always have that option? Might also be curious if they decide to get rid of the cam in block design and try the cam phaser route with an OHC design.
Ford made a big V6 based on a V8, with parts crossover, for racing.
I think we reached peak engine reliability in the 2000s, so probably the LS1. And really they should go back to making more V8/V6s, as the old adage goes, there’s no replacement for displacement.
With all the ecoboost/ecotech turbo boosting, it’s not much better than dieselgate. They tune the turbo and 10 speed transmissions to do good for the test, but anybody driving them is gonna leadfoot it to get the actual performance, or even better put a chip in them, and turbos still don’t last as long as a regular natural aspirated V8.
It’s been all downhill since the discontinuation of the legendary 2JZ. 6 little cylinders, all in a row, with a block that can handle 1000+ hp applications without breaking a sweat.
The Mercedes OM606/648 are the ultimate inline 6s, imo.
want 600+hp AND 30mpg? Done.
Of late, the small turbo engines have been more reliable than the AFM or modern V8s
Agreed on AFM, I think just taller gearing is a better option, heck Camaros were getting near 30mpg with them. Maybe just add a hybrid or something but trying to get fancy with the engine itself doesn’t really work so good.
well, I can tell you that with a lowly 305, computer controlled carb and basic ass 700R4, the Camaro SPort coupe could very easily deliver 28 MPG pretty regularly. 30MPG with modern tech, more gears and a v6 should be pretty easy you would think.
I enjoyed this video on the GM V8 recall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0VoEhW2I-E
The V8 has been supposedly on its deathbed for decades now. At this rate it should go out of production at roughly the same time Hell freezes over. The best GM V8 would have to be the 32-valve LT5 from the C4 ZR-1.
Lotus-designed V8 built by Mercury Marine, but yes I’ll allow it, because it was going to be my pick.
As a technical achievement the best V8 is the LT6.
As a “holy shit” moment it’s the LT7.
As a cultural trendsetter, the best is the LS1.
As an example of “GM at the peak of its powers” it’s the 1970 LS6 or Caddy 500
As a whole though, how can it be anything but the original SBC?
Yeah I was going to say the original SBC or the LSx both have been swapped into vehicles for a long time now for a reason. If my 406 ever goes out in my Firebird the only replacement will most likely be another older small block or a LSx of some sort.
My vote is for the LS. . .but the original SBC does deserve to be #2.
I think the LS1 and the original SBC. They were both game changers in their own ways and have spawned many great variants.
I’ve owned a few of each:
A warmed over 350-4BBL in a squarebody 4×4
A L98 (TPI 350) in an 88 T/A GTA
2 X LS1’s in 4th gen Firebirds.
The L98 was my favorite to drive around town, that L98 made 345ft lbs right off idle. Ran out of steam by 4500 though. I’ve always thought this would have been a great truck engine.
My favorite was the LS though, while a little softer off the line than the L98, once you got past 3K RPM fuhgeddaboutit. It also got 22mpg as my daily and could knock out high 20’s on the way to the track.
The carbed 350 – sounded great and had a certain charm, but if I never own another carbed vehicle I’ll be happy.
This would be a fun game – list all the GM V8s you’ve owned.
For me:
-L76 6.0 in a 2008 G8 GT
-Vortec 350 in a 1997 K2500
-Cadillac 390 in a 1960 Deville
-LT1 in a 1996 Fleetwood
-8.1 big block in a 2002 Avalanche
-LS3 in a 2016 SS
-LT4 in my current Blackwing
-Non matching 350 (don’t know its ultimate origin) in my 1972 Blazer project
All have been neat in their own way, but I do want to give a special shout out to the 8.1, an awesomely underrated engine.
I’ll play:
– 307 2bbl. my parents’ ’72 Nova, that i learned to drive in (manual drum brakes AND manual steering, fun!)
– “Goodwrench” 350 transplant in the ’68 GMC pickup that had too many swapped parts to count
– Vortec 5.7l TPI in my ’97 Silverado SCLB
-5.3l in my ’07 Silverado ECSB. This one had AFM, and it never gave be any trouble in 180k miles.
People have been predicting the impending death of the V8 since at least the 1980s, we’re certainly closer to it now than ever, but it’s one of those things where you can’t confidently put any date on it, since things like this keep happening to inject life back in.
GM will probably want to get at least 10 years out of the design, at a minimum, so that pushes this new one to 2037 or 2038, at the very least. And if it’s still selling well by then and has no regulatory barriers to continued sales, then it can go another 10 or 20 years or more
It isn’t like, say, large cars, which were forecast to die in the ’70s and ’80s, had something of a revival in the ’90s, but which are now pretty much truly dead outside the luxury segment and can be confidently said to not be coming back again
Manufacturers, dealerships, and politicians have made it so a BOF truck is the default vehicle for the US. I don’t think it’s sustainable, especially when they cost more than the median household income and OEMs are having to roll out longer and longer term loans and be more generous with who they’ll approve so people can afford them.
But with that out of the way, big trucks aren’t going anywhere. They’re too enmeshed with our society at this point. Despite myriad attempts to engineer something better and more efficient, the best and most reliable way to power one is still what it’s been for the last 75 years-a naturally aspirated V8.
With all that in mind, they’re not going anywhere.
A BOF full-size vehicle powered by a V8 engine has been the default in this country for most of the last 80 years.
You’re technically correct-the best kind of correct. But we at least used to be able to get it in other forms, like wagons and sedans. It would be neat if we still had those, because not all of us need 20 foot long behemoths that can handle Moab and tow a house.
I just want a 20 foot behemoth that is a sedan though.
I will never not smile when I see a 60s land yacht on the road
When we were in younger my husband drove an Olds Delta 88. It was longer than some 3-row SUVs on the market today. Couches on wheels.
I guess you’re not behind it, stuck huffing the fumes.
Trouble is, sedans fall under passenger car CAFE rules, short bed crew cab pickups are under CAFE light truck rules, so the regulatory math works out better for big V8 trucks than big V8 cars, even though a modern landyacht would get better fuel economy than a pickup with the same engine due to better aerodynamics and at least slightly lower weight
Yeah some laws should be changed.
I have hope for not too many problems with the Ramcharger. I do think the best of both worlds is the 690 mile range estimate and the heart of it being the pentastar 3.6. that engine while not perfect, is at least a known quotient with regard to longevity and simplicity.
I like the idea of being able to slow charge for daily duties and then if need be, have an engine kick on and keep me going. Though I do still kind of wonder if the low use of the ice motor will lead to a short life span? Or f the battery system will prove out as reliable over time. still I think they need to get that going sooner than later.
I think that the cold turkey approach to V8’s that Stellantis went with probably spooked Mary a bit when she saw the lackluster reaction. but I could be wrong.
Out of all the the lunatics that reach the rank of CEO she seems to be among the most reasonable
The V8 will exist for as long as the United States exist. The engine form and big trucks/muscle cars it’s synonymous with are too deeply engrained in the fibers of our society to go away. Is it a little silly? Absolutely, but good luck convincing body on frame truck and pony car buyers that they don’t need it. When it comes to the environment you have to pick and choose your battles and this one seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
I also begrudgingly kind of get it? The only thing that feels and sounds like a V8 is a V8. There really is no substitute and there’s a reason why they’re so widespread/maybe the most prominent engine design of all time. Anyway WET LEG! I fucking love them. Between the ridiculously catchy songs and unapologetic, uncompromising silliness I think they’re pretty special.
There’s no one else like them and their notoriety is well deserved. They’re also a cool story…two close friends from a quirky little British island making fun and sarcastic music for themselves that just so happened to catch lightning in a bottle. Almost everything under the rock umbrella is on life support right now outside of a few outstanding bands and Wet Leg is one of the few bands that are fresh and innovative.
Wet Leg is absolutely one of the best current bands. It’s a tightrope walk to be funny and snarky without coming across as a novelty act. “Chaise Longue” was a brilliant opening salvo of a first single and they haven’t lost a step since.
Wet Leg is singlehandedly saving rock music, and I say that as someone who listens to a lot of current rock music.
There’s a lot of innovative music.
It’s just not being signed by the mainstream music industry, which has adopted the creative philosophy of big Hollywood film producers. Sequel, remake, copy, copy, copy
Musicians can have a lifetime career now without ever even meeting a name record company.
You just have to look for the good stuff.
It’s out there.
Until the heat death of the universe. Giant mutated roaches will be using SBC’s fueled with wood gas to operate machinery digging out our landfills for buried treasures.
A mechanical diesel can run on used oil.
Don’t tell anyone
Even more fun is when it decides to run on its own oil…
You can run a V8 on hydrogen and the only emissions are water and fun, so long term I think V8s could last forever.
Hell, you can make your own V8 at home and run it on compressed air.
So V8s forever.
I prefer straight sixes though.
“run a V8 on hydrogen and the only emissions are water and fun”
Nitrogen in the air reacts in the combustion chamber to form NOx. Probably fine if the catalytic converter is working.
I thought the NOx was the fun…
Reportedly, the only reason Ford dropped their big inline six was emissions.
Best GM V8 has a lot of strong competitors, especially when you consider just how damn many there have been.
GM Itself had each brand making their own v8’s for quite a while. WIth Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, chevy and Cadillac all doing their own thing.
Still, tough to beat the 302/327/350 family for versatility and longevity.
Powering everything from boats, to corvettes and camaros, to hot rods and race cars.
Can still find them powering anything really.
The V8 will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.
The L87 is awaited in Valhalla!
So will Ferrari V12s. Uh, wait…
WITNESS ME!!!!
sorry, couldn’t help it