Let's turn back the clock a bit to 1966.
I was in high school and bought a used 1962 Olds F-85 Jetfire Coupe. This had the 215 Aluminum V-8 that was shared with Buick and eventually was bought by Rover. This was a narrow (Nailhead type) small cube V-8 that was cherished by hotrodders due to it's narrow profile, light weight, and hp to cubic inches ratio. Stock with a 2 bbl, it was rated at 165Hp. with a 4 bbl-185Hp. With the 4 bbl and the Alchohol/Water injected Turbo version(JetFire), it was rated at 215Hp.
This was one of a few firsts for the auto industry for a off the showroom floor car had equal Hp to Cubic inch rating(other being FI 283). It worked like a champ but most eventually disconnected the injection system because you had to "mix" the alchohol&water with a certain ratio and a full bottle would only last a week or so. It was vacuum operated when you floored it and the turbo boost was at it's highest, it would suck that bottle(approx a quart) dry really fast. What many people did not know was that when the Turbo spooled up, it needed the water/alchohol mixture to cool the turbo. So when most people disconnected the injection system, it caused the turbo to overheat, warp the impellers and fail. No small wonder that there are not many of these still around.
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1940 Chevy Coupe
