“Cadillac rollin’ down the open road, but nothin’ outrun my V-8 Ford.” — Chuck Berry.

The Ford V-8 was not the first V-8 engine but the first affordable to the mass market consumer. Introduced in 1932, it was installed in thousands of cars, trucks and utility vehicles until production in the U.S. ceased in 1953.

Included on the Ward’s list of the 10 best engines of the 20th century, it was the engine of choice for hot rodders in the ‘50s and remains popular today.

Ford had been riding the crest of Model “A” production from 1928-1931 when Henry Ford had the idea that a V-8 engine could be desig...