2016 Jaguar F-type R coupe supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine
From the May 2016 issue
Mankind?s ability to make things, sometimes out of practically nothing, is what distinguishes us from our knuckle-dragging ancestors. We can dig up ore, melt it, and ladle it into a mold, and out pops an engine block. Jaguar Land Rover?s AJ126 engine is a more economical form of human ingenuity; it?s a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 made from the existing AJ133 5.0-liter V-8. Although this is not an original idea?see our sidebar, below, on Buick?s Fireball V-6?the JLR gambit deserves the Queen?s Medal for creativity.

THE WHOLE TRUTH
Jaguar Land Rover’s AJ126 isn’t just an eight with two dead holes, as its six cylinders have a smaller bore and stroke than the V-8. In their highest-output guises, the two engines scale thusly:
V-6

V-8

BORE

84.5 mm

92.5 mm

STROKE

89.0 mm

93.0 mm

DISPLACEMENT

2995 cc

5000 cc

POWER

380 hp

550 hp

TORQUE

339 lb-ft

502 lb-ft

HP/LITER

127

110

PRECEDENTIAL ELECTION

Buick created its Fireball V-6 in 1961 by pruning two cylinders from a troublesome aluminum V-8. The engine did a stint with Jeep, and then GM refined it with a balance shaft and even firing. In the turbocharged 1987 Buick GNX, it made 300 horsepower. As the 3800, it powered everything from Chevys to Cadillacs and sold more than 25 million copies. Race versions landed four Indy 500 poles. Its final assignment was in the 2009 ...