The "Biggest Engine Club"

[pwschuh]

How about a fun diversion: are you a member of the Biggest Engine Club?

Here's how it works: if every car or truck you've ever owned had the biggest or most powerful FACTORY regular production motor available in that body style in that year, you're a member (i.e. for a '69 Charger, I'll accept the 440 (biggest) or the 426 (most powerful)). It's that simple.

I tried this on another web forum a few years ago and it went pear-shaped really fast with people talking about their 670 ci mountain motor Camaro or their VW Bug with a 350 Chevy or their friend that had a really fast blah blah blah. Cool cars maybe, but none of that stuff matters here. I'm more impressed if you bought a little Italian crapbox that was available with a 1.1, 1.3, or 1.5 liter engine and you went out of your way to find a 1.5 version. It has to be an engine that was listed in the factory brochure. Obviously if a model and year of a car was only available with one engine, then it still qualifies.

The more cars you've owned, the harder it is to qualify because, unless you were intentional about it, sometime in your life you may have bought a work truck or a daily beater for your wife to drive without worrying much about what engine it had.

So, think back to the first vehicle you owned and work your way up to today and count everything with a title or registration in your name: are you in? (Remember, biggest for that body style in that year.) If not, don't feel bad. I've asked a number of car guys over the years and very few could honestly say they did.

I've owned 15 cars/trucks and I'm still in.

(Bonus points if you've owned motorcycles and still qualify…)

(Club President is the one who's owned the most vehicles and still qualifies…)

[exwestracer]

Boy, now THAT made me put my thinking cap on! I qualify on bikes (79 Suzuki GS 1000C, 81 GS 1100E), but I love screamin small-blocks too much to get in with cars. Does an 04 Cummins Dodge count? LOL

[pwschuh]

Whether or not you can say you belong to the BE club is not meant to be a value judgement, or a measure of your commitment as a car guy. It's just a peculiarity of mine that I wondered how many other people shared. At first it was nothing intentional, but when I realized it at some point in my life (about car number 12), then it became something I started thinking about when ever I bought a car. And I'm not saying that I would never voluntarily disenroll myself from membership, if the right car came along or gas prices keep going up.

Cummins might squeek in on biggest torque numbers? (I haven't looked it up)

[metalshapes]

I'm out...

My F250 Superduy has the V8 intread of the bigger V10 ( because I've heard a lot of bad stories about them ).

I used to have a 1750 Alfa Romeo GTV Bertone, but they were sold with the bigger two litre as well.

And there are a bunch that started out as the smaller base models when I bought them ( even if I swapped in bigger engines, I'm not sure they'd count...)

[revhead]

I tend to have the problem of only wanting the top model of a given car, but not necessarily the biggest engine. I have a '70 Corvette and it has a special factory hood on it and almost every time someone asks about it I get the question "Is that a big block car" as soon as I say no, you can see the look of disappointment. It doesn't matter that it has the 370hp solid lifter, Holley-carbed, Transistor ignition, 6500 redline LT-1 in it. All that matters is that it is not a big block. Most of the big block options were actually slower cars even.

For the most parts my cars have been the biggest or most powerful engine. I just recently chose a rustier 455 powered vista cruiser over a nicer 350 version. Even in my college days my Dodge Spirit was the R/T version.

[pwschuh]

All that matters is that it is not a big block.

I think you hit the nail on the head. In some cases it really is all about the mystique. In some ways I'm perhaps guilty of falling for the marketing pitch. My Dad set me up buy owning a 1968 Chrysler Town & Country wagon with a 440. That became my first car.

It's the kind of thing that made kids in the mid 70's think a 360 Duster was better than a 340 Duster from the early 70's just because of the bigger number but we weren't reading the spec sheet closely and now every one of us now would likely rather have the 340. (Although either would qualify since they were the largest engine of their years.)

[EnragedHawk]

I guess I need to start a smallest engine club... My 55' is the first V8 vehicle I've ever owned, and I had to rip that engine from another truck... My first car was a 90's Chrysler with a 3.5L, my Firebird has a 3.8L, I had Accord with an I4 and a Civic with an I4, and now a Mazda with a V6. I hate small engines... it's all I can afford from the factory though.

[pwschuh]

I guess I need to start a smallest engine club...

Great idea. Your club motto can be "Those who do more with less!"

[toddc]

I've got an XJ12 Jaguar with the 5.3L V12. (biggest available when new)
The one before that was an XJR with the supercharged 4.0L (badest available when new)

Am I in?

[pwschuh]

I've got an XJ12 Jaguar with the 5.3L V12. (biggest available when new)
The one before that was an XJR with the supercharged 4.0L (badest available when new)

Am I in?

If those are the only two vehicles you have ever owned, then yes. If you've owned other vehicles, then it depends...