You don't need to be a gearhead to know the name, V8. It's not just the most famous automobile engine ever created; it's an emblem of Americana, celebrated in pop culture in rock and roll hits like ...

The V8 engine is a French invention. Popularized and mythologized in American form, it was patented by French engineer Leon Levavasseur, but the symmetry of eight cylinders pumping in concert appealed ...