Page 1 - my current vehicle: 1996 Daihatsu Applause

Page 2 - my old ride: 1988 Honda CM200T TwinStar

Page 3 - pictures I've taken of cars

Page 4 - Lamborghini LM link/POLL RESULTS

Page 5 - Rambling about my dream cars.

Page 6 - La DÜrkopp & other tales of Querétaro

Page 7 - 2006 Models: Cars I Like

Page 8 - 2006 Models: Cars I Disike

Page 9 - The V-6 Page

Page 10 - Abandoned Dodge Coronet 440 - THE SORROW AND THE PROMISE

V-6 PAGE:
Part 1 - Why I'm not a V-6 fan.
Part 2 - The counsel for the defense.

WHY I'M NOT A V-6 FAN:

This page is dedicated to one of my least favourite engine designs, the V-6. It's one of those "What were they thinking?" ideas like the inline-5 and the V-10 except, unlike those other two oddities, the V-6 seems to have gained universal acceptance and has almost completely displaced the straight-6 from the market.

The V-6, like almost everything else automotive, was invented in the pioneer days of motoring, between 1886 and 1925, but it was mostly forgotten when Buick made the first mass-produced V-6 in the mid-'60s. The great engineering principle behind Buick's "innovation" was that, by making an engine that was basically three-quarters of a production V-8, they could make their "small" engine and their "big" engine on the same assembly line. The sole purpose of the V-6 was to have a small engine for a minimal cost to the manufacturer, and it showed in its lack of refinement.

The first casualty of this policy was Buick's existing "small" engine, the alloy-block V-8 powering the Skylark, Starfire and Tempest compacts. Fortunately for the British hot-rodder, Buick's decision to can their small V-8 coincided with Rover's decision that it needed a new "big" engine. Rover heard about the discontinued Buick engine and bought the design and the tooling, bringing GM's abandoned good idea from the mid '60s to the beginning of the 21st Century.

About a decade after the inglorious beginning of the V-6, the first gas crisis hit the Western world. The V-6 gained some momentum as an engine of moderate size and dimensions. When the second gas crisis hit at the end of the '70s, panic set in. People were predicting the end of the automobile as we knew it. While the predictions were (and are) ultimately realistic, they turned out to be a bit premature. Not a lot premature, however; the '80s would be the decade where dominance of the automotive world shifted from rear-drive to front-drive. The Mini, that odd little car that was to the U.K. what the Volkswagen was to Germany, was to leave a greater legacy than that most reproduced automotive design in the world. Its drivetrain design, featuring a transverse engine powering a transverse front transaxle, became the standard layout for small and even midsize cars the world over. The compact size of Buick's bastard engine gained favour with those applying the Mini's layout to midsize cars and, for neither the first time nor the last, the Japanese adopted, revised and improved on an American idea.

By the '90s one would be hard-pressed to find a midsize American or Japanese car with rear drive or without at least an optional V-6. No longer sawed-off V-8s, these ground-up V-6 designs included such refinements for improved engine balance as narrower V angles and counter-rotating balance shafts. These were good compromises for people who just wanted reliable, roomy, economical transportation and didn't really care about performance or elegance of design.

Where the picture really got skewed was with the use of V-6 engines in luxury cars. The economical compromises and inelegant solutions to problems born of inelegance that are acceptable in a Mercury Sable or a Toyota Camry should not be so in a Mercedes or a Jaguar. Yet Mercedes and Jaguar have given up their excellent straight-6 engines in favour of V-6s. Mercedes claims its V-6 engine is lighter and more compact than the earlier straight-6. While one wonders if the power lost to balance shafts would be enough to diminish the gains in the power/weight ratio, the real prize seems to be the compact size, to reconcile the requirements for better fuel economy with the requirements for automotive safety. This balancing act may be squeezing the straight-6 out, literally. Jaguar's reason for switching to V-6 engines is a bit more sinister: Those are Ford V-6s lurking under those hallowed bonnets. Ford (or more to the point, Lincoln) doesn't have a straight-6 or a V-12, so Jaguar doesn't either.

However, Jaguar's journey from British Leyland to British Lincoln is, for the most part, a different story. Not all of the great marques have abandoned the straight-6; there are two remaining stalwarts: BMW and, oddly enough, Lexus. BMW's 3-series and smaller-engined 5-series cars and Lexus's IS300 and GS300 cars are the last holdout of the straight-6 rear drive sedan and wagon.

THE COUNSEL FOR THE DEFENCE:

Having stated my dismay regarding the rise of the V-6 and the fall of the straight-6, I must now temper this with the advantages and solid achievements of V-6 engines.

The main advantage of a V-6 is its compact size. This is what has caused it to rise to dominance in this current paradigm of transverse drivetrains and crush zones. Due to this, whether deservedly or not, it has become a symbol of efficiency. As such, Buick and Honda have used variations of their corporate V-6s to become symbols of efficient power, with an aim to unseating the mighty V-8.

Buick took the early lead with the Grand National Turbo V-6. These thundering engines powered the Regal Grand National and the Regal T-Type to become Buick’s last muscle cars. Sadly, the engine would not fit sideways, so the Grand National was dropped in the late ‘80s when the Buick Regal and its Oldsmobile and Pontiac siblings joined the front-drive revolution.

Honda picked up the ball in 1990 with their NSX. Badged as an Acura in the United States, the NSX was built to rival the Ferrari 348 with power, lightness, handling and reliability. While its all-aluminium body was its most interesting feature, its engine displayed the most extreme use of Honda’s then-new V-TEC variable valve timing system. A V-6 was used for the familiar reason of cost; it was based on Honda’s corporate V-6 that powered the Honda Accord and several Acura models. The NSX is no longer cutting-edge, and its once staggering power rating has now been eclipsed by newer Ferraris, Corvettes and even Mustangs, but it still finds a market for those who want an exotic sports car as reliable and user-friendly as an Accord.

The Buick 3800 Series II V-6 engine has a reputation for reliability, although I’m not sure how it compares to Mercedes diesels or old Volvos. While Consumer Reports does not have a generally high opinion of Camaros and Firebirds, the ratings of the V-6 models (which use the 3800 Series II engine) are rather higher than those of the V-8 models.

So V-6s can be powerful and they can be extremely reliable, which makes them a reasonable option if these characteristics are present in the particular design. This may be enough of a defense for most. It’s not for me, but that’s just my opinion.