The trend in the automotive industry in recent years has been to reduce engines, so that they become more economical and less polluting (an increasingly imperative concern these days) while maintaining or even increasing the power of their predecessors with greater capacity. As a demonstration we present 15 20th century road classic cars with engines starting at 6.0 liters.
1- Pierce-Arrow Model 66 – 13.5 litres
Fageol, best known for building large vehicles, built this luxury car in 1910. This 66 model was launched with an 11.7 liter inline six-cylinder engine, but three years later it was changed to a Hall-Scott aero engine 13.5 liter Scott.
2-Peerless Model 60 – 13.5 litres
This Peerless Model 60 is an American model that was introduced in 1912, it was considered as one of the production cars with the biggest engine. It was powered by a 6-cylinder in-line engine with a capacity of 13.5 liters.
3-Bugatti Royale – 12.7 litres
At the beginning of its existence, Bugatti was famous for its eight engines, some of them equipped with models that won Grand Prix. But its super-luxury Royale built from 1927 to 1933 was by far the one with the largest engine at 12.7 litres.
4-Hispano-Suiza J12 – 11.3 litres
This J12 model was the Hispano-Suiza boss' luxury car for most of the 1930s. Most of these models were built with V12 engines with a capacity of 9.4 liters, but some examples were equipped with the 11.3 liter version.
5-Simplex 50hp – 9.8 litres
Simplex in the early years of the 20th century produced an extraordinary luxury and sporty model that it simply called 50hp. It had only a four-cylinder engine, but a combined capacity of a whopping 9.8 liters.
6-Locomobile Model 48 – 8.6 litres
The Locomobile Company of America was the pioneer in automobile manufacturing in America and was founded in 1899. This magnificent Model 48 luxury car was launched in 1911, with an in-line 6 cylinder engine initially running 7.0 liters, and a few years later increased to 8.6 liters liters.
7-Cadillac Eldorado – 8.2 litres
The engine of this gorgeous Cadillac Eldorado powered most Cadillac models from the beginning to the mid-1970s. Cadillac introduced a new 7.7 liter engine in 1968 and two years later comes this 8.2 liter V8.
8- Bentley 8-Litre – 8.0 litres
With a name as simple as 8 liters this elegant Bentley it emerged in the late 1930s, with the largest engine ever installed in an 8.0-litre, in-line 6-cylinder production Bentley.
9-Rolls-Royce Phantom - 7.7 litres
Rolls-Royce replaced the Silver Ghost with the first of many Phantom models in 1925. Both had six in-line engines, but the Phantom was larger at 7.7 liters.
10- Ford Thunderbird – 7.5 litres
This was the 7.5 liter version used in the Ford Thunderbird, in addition to the 385 V8, it was also used in other large Ford and Mercurye models in the E Series vans in the 1990s.
11- Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost – 7.4 litres
The Silver Ghost went on sale in 1907 with 7.0 litres, in 1910 the capacity was increased to 7.4 litres. Most Silver Ghosts have engines of this size, the car remained in production until 1926.
12- Dodge Charger – 7.2 litres
The Dodge Charger was produced by Dodge from 1966 to 1978 and was based on Chrysler's B platform. Chrysler chose its Dodge Division to enter the market with a sports car with a B body and this 7.2 liter Dodge Charger appeared.
13- Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 – 6.9 litres
The Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 is the luxury and high performance version of the W116 S-class saloon from the 1970s, with a 6.3 liter engine, in the SEL a 6.9 was installed as described in the car's name.
14- Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – 6.75 litres
Rolls-Royce's first unibody model was initially equipped with the L-series V8 engine in its original 6.25 liter form. In 1970, it was made available with a new version of the same 6.75 liter appliance. Despite all the development the engine has gone through in the remaining half century of its production life, its size has never changed.
15- Continental Mark II – 6.0 litres
The Continental Mark II is an ultra-luxury coupe that was sold by Ford's Continental Division in the years 1956 and 1957. It was regarded as the most expensive American automobile at the time, the Mark II was produced exclusively as a two-door hardtop coupe, the Mark II used standard Lincoln mechanical components, including its "Y-block" 6.0-liter V8 and automatic transmission.
