RESURRECTED

Not every great idea nails it on the first try. Henry Ford designed and built nine vehicles before perfecting his formula with the Model T, and the Corvette didn't even offer a V-8 engine until its third model year.

- BARRY KLUCZYK

These days, the four-stroke V-4 engine known as AMV4 by SuperHP (SHP) may be seen in a similar light. The concept had been around for more than 15 years and included a brief stint in production, starting with the ambitiously conceived Motus MST sport-touring motorcycle that was well-engineered and well-received but not well-sold.

Today, it is back in production with several design revisions but still displacing 100 cubic inches (1.65 liters), weighing only 165 pounds, and producing around 180 naturally aspirated horsepower—all with the camshaft in the block, as the Founding Fathers intended. SHP is supplying the first run of the resurrected V-4 to formula race car manufacturer Ligier Automotive, which is using it as the spec engine—dubbed the Ligier Storm—in its JS F422 chassis that runs in the F4 U.S. Championship Series. “Great ideas sometimes need more time,” said Jim Lewandowski, SuperHP's president. “The vision for this engine was always strong. We feel it has great potential.”

Many design changes were made to support the AMV4's system integration requirements for the Ligier chassis and race application, including a dry-sump oiling system and a remote electric water pump, but the foundation of the compact powerhouse is very adaptable. After staring at it for just a moment, every hot-rodding instinct is triggered. It will fit in just about anything, and, for reference, it makes more horsepower than the Ford Windsor-based 260 V-8 that powered the original Sunbeam Tiger. What about boost? How about 300 or so force-fed horses in, say, a Vega? Or a vintage Anglia? All of that, including supercharging and turbocharging, has occurred to SHP. All in good time, they say.