2-Stroke V8s Were Beyond Cool, We Should Bring Them Back
2-Stroke V8
Need to know more intensifies.
2-strokes are fun as hell. From dirt bikes to snowmobiles, the rev-happy machines will put a smile on your face from here until eternity. They're symphonies of destruction.
However, the vast majority of 2-stroke engines are small in cylinder count and displacement. Yet, a while back, that wasn't exactly the case for every 2-stroke. No, there once was something far wilder offered to the public. Something that was absolutely batshit.
Do you remember when Evinrude made a 2-stroke V8?
Back in the day, Evinrude and Johnson Marine collaborated on a 3.6-liter 2-stroke V8 for the brand's outboard boat motors. And from the factory, the motors produced around 275 horsepower on 91 octane. At least, that's what the brands' claimed, as others routinely found they were pumping out closer to 300 horsepower.
And since this is America and everything deserves some hot-rod love, a few years after its introduction, a modified version of the 3.6-liter V8 hit a staggering 10,000 rpm world speed record at 176 mph. Those motors were built for ages, only being discontinued because EFI became cheap, effective, and more reliable.
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But every so often, they come back around in the news cycle, as folks remember they existed. Hell, even I forgot it used to be a thing. That is until an old clip from YouTubers Muggeg came up in my queue.
The clip is of the first firing of an Evinrude 2-stroke V8 that the guys had just finished restoring and modifying, which included custom-made expansion chambers. And it sounds freakin' wild. There's still somewhat of a V8 growl, but it's punctuated by that distinctive 2-stroke twang and braap.
The engine would then go into an old Volvo Amazon dubbed the Rudezon, but I'm not sure it was ever finished as the build videos stopped some 7 years ago. And the car was most definitely not done at the time. But from the test drive videos, the project was going in the right direction and, again, sounded like the world was ending when they got on the gas.
Honestly, I'd love to see more of these 2-stroke V8 swaps happen, as there are plenty of old Evinrudes to go around. Imagine the noise from a 2-stroke V8 in the back of a RZR or Maverick UTV.