The Carmudgeon Show
4 days ago
The American V8 that created the SUV — The Carmudgeon Show w Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott — Ep 97
The Range Rover is arguably the definitive luxury SUV, and it wasn't possible without the long-lived aluminum Buick V-8.
The Buick "Small-Block" 225-cubic inch V-8 was made entirely out of aluminum — very rare for the 1950s. It wound being turbocharged for the one of the first-ever production turbocharged cars, the Oldsmobile Jetfire.
It was ultimately too expensive for production, and was fraught with casting issues, so Buick killed its V-8 — and Rover bought it.
The powerful V-8 was (literally) the driving force behind the Range Rover — arguably the first SUV to create today's Luxury SUV formula.
In this episode, walking encyclopedia Derek Tam-Scott and automotive journalist Jason Cammisa discuss the Buick V-8 in all its applications, including Jason's favorite 5-door, rear-drive luxury hatchback, the Rover SD1 3500.
They also discuss a hair-raising incident Jason caught on his dash cam — a
Mustang that passed him at over 150 mph on the shoulder, coming within inches of hitting him.
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