It is true that Cadillac and Oldsmobile produced ohv V8s in 1949, followed by Chrysler in 1951, DeSoto in 1952, and Buick in 1953. Ford introduced the "Y-block" ohv V8 in 1954, with 239 cid (same as the old 8BA flathead, but oversquare) and only 130 hp. W G ("Racer") Brown wrote a series about modifying a 1954 Mainline business coupe, but the Y-block didn't light any fires. The earlier and bigger V8s were immediately modified by serious racers and high-dollar hot rodders (inlines ruled at Indianapolis and the old USAC circuit until the 1970s). Yet the cars these engines came in were heavier and not made for speed, so that well-prepared flatheads and inlines in light chassis could stay with them and, usually, beat them--just as it took a decade or more of development for the Ford flathead V8s to beat the Model Bs and Chevy fours consistently.
i remember walking by Vandergriff Chevrolet in Arlington, Texas, on that day in the fall of 1954 when the 1955 models were introduced. It was wall-to-wall in the showroom, and from what i could see of it, that little V8 in its bright orange paint appeared tiny in its cavernous surroundings. The Chevy V8 was relatively inexpensive, compared to the other GM cars, it was relatively light, and Chevrolet would sell it in a form that would go fast, out of the box.
In Abilene, the contractor's son who had previously run bootleg liquor in his '53 Olds traded the Olds for a black '56 Bel Air hardtop with 283 "powerpack," 4.11 gears, and an overdrive. When he wasn't making money with it, he'd race against all comers at the old Taylor County airstrip, winning some and losing some. My friend James Sanders, already a master craftsman at 22 and making good money, had a '56 210 Del Ray with 4.56 gears and two four barrels. Premium was only 25 cents a gallon, and up to about 90 mph that Chevy would snap your neck in any gear.
Still the fastest car i remember from the mid-1950s was Paul Tyner's black 1953 Plymouth Belvedere two-door, powered by a built 265 cid Chrysler six, with Edmunds head and dual manifold, split exhaust, and Mallory ignition. In overdrive it would bury the speedometer needle all day long. On one memorable Saturday evening five of us left Abilene for San Angelo, late getting away, and arrived 62 minutes later--89 miles of two-lane, with one stop to leave the mandatory 50 pounds of concrete (for traction, unloaded)under a culvert. We outran one sheriff's patrol car on that trip, among many other memorable events. Paul never had a better car than that one, not in the 1950s. i wish i could find it now.
God's Peace to you.
d
