Ford’s mass production of the flathead opened up racing to a whole new audience and helped an industry flourish. Ford wasn’t alone, however, as the factory-built flathead was just a building ...

Ford changed all of that in 1932 with the introduction of the 221 cubic inch flathead V8. Almost immediately upon its introduction, gearheads were racing Fords powered by the new flathead V8.

and companies have focused on delivering higher outputs for larger vehicles and amateur racing enthusiasts. Ford's first Flathead—a 3.6-liter 221 cubic-inch unit—was known as a benchmark at ...