Straight-8 engine

A Straight-8 is a straight engine with eight cylinders.

Unfortunately, a straight-8 is a very long engine and requires more main bearings to support the crankshaft adequately. In addition, the change in design of cars from a long engine compartment between separate fenders to the modern configuration beginning with the Chrysler Airflow and its shorter engine compartment led to straight-8 engines being phased out of automobile design.

Most straight-8 engines were used pre-World War II in expensive luxury and performance vehicles. Bugattis commonly used DOHC straight-8 engines. Postwar, the main users of the straight-8 were American luxury cars belonging to Chrysler (flathead configuration) and General Motors owned marques (flathead and OHV configuration), but the straight-8 lost favor by the 1950s, almost universally replaced by the V8. Ford never adopted the straight-8, using V8 or V12 engines from the 1930s on. The legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR used a 3 liter Straight-8 outputting 290hp.