Comment by rootusrootus

I still remember the first time I tore down a pushrod V8. I decided it had to be close to the pinnacle of elegant design. Nothing wasted, everything had a purpose, and it all came together in a perfect mechanical symphony. We have since made engines which are significantly more efficient and powerful, but all of that at the cost of elegance, slapping on overhead cams and machinery just to adjust the valve timing, etc. Fantastic technology in it's own right for certain, but feels tacked on, like an expensive optimization.

Reminds me that I want to get something for my kids to work on which will maybe show them some of that same elegance. I don't currently have any V8s in the garage to go tear down :)