Pontiac Straight-8 Engine - "Special"-8

"Special"-8

At the General Motors Motorama for 1954, Pontiac debuted its all new Bonneville Special, a concept car envisioned by head designer Harley J. Earl. The concept was equipped with the "Special"-8, a high output 268-cubic-inch (4.39 L) engine that was painted bright red and detailed in chrome. This was a unique configuration for the "eight", installed in the only two Specials ever made. Similar in appearance only, this was a high compression variant that was modified with a high-lift cam and aspirated naturally through four Carter YH side-draft, single barrel carburetors, the same used in the 1953 Corvette, under open-mesh breathers. Total output was the highest ever for the "eight", rated at 230 bhp (170 kW), though some estimated it at over 300 bhp (220 kW). This estimate may be forgiven as "pride of ownership", but unfortunately it's not credible that these simple modifications would more than double the output of this fairly primitive design, and equal the power per cubic inch of highly developed and purpose-built contemporary sidevalve race engines such as the Harley-Davidson KR. Like the Special, only two of these remarkable variants were ever made.

Note: Pontiac’s new V8 was being considered for use in the Special but was instead held back by GM marketing. They directed that the straight-8 be used, to keep the V8 a secret from consumers for one more year until its debut the following year.