What's so unusual about a V6 engine? Most automobile manufacturers have at least one V6 in their product line. Indeed, the standard midsized sedan engine seems to be a 3-liter V6 these downsized days.
So, what's different about the 3800 Series II V6 found in the Buick Regal and many other General Motors cars? After all, it is made of cast iron, and has two pushrod-actuated valves per cylinder. That seems pretty archaic in these days of aluminum engines with dual overhead cams and four valves per cylinder. But, the 3800 Series II is unique.
The 3800 Series II is the direct descendent of the first mass- produced V6 made by Buick in 1962. And that engine was a modification of an earlier, aluminum V8. That engine, too, is still in production, and can be found in some very unusual engine compartments.
The aluminum alloy V8 seemed like a good idea when it was developed in the late 1950s. It was lighter than an equivalent cast iron engine and could fit well in the new compact cars, including the 1961 Buick Special. But, it was expensive to produce. So a V6 was made that was essentially two-thirds of the V8. It was cast from iron, not aluminum, and kept the 90 degree angle between cylinder banks used in the V8. It did get its own specific camshaft, crankshaft, and firing order.
The new V6 was first used in the 1962 Buick Special. It displaced 3.2 liters, or 198 cubic inches, and produced 135 horsepower. It worked well, and got good gas mileage. But it hit the market just as monster V8- powered muscle cars became popular. Fuel economy was less of a consideration for many people than raw horsepower in mass quantities, and the tooling for the Buick V6 was sold to Jeep after the 1967 model year.
Then, in 1973, came the first fuel crisis. Panic! Buick executives realized that they needed a fuel-efficient V6. Extreme measures were called for. Buick engineers went to a junkyard and found an original V6, which was then installed in a current Buick Apollo. It worked, so the tooling was repurchased from Jeep's then-current owner American Motors, and reinstalled on the old V6 production line in Flint, Michigan.
The 1975 Buick Skyhawk was the first car with the new-old V6, which displaced 3.8 liters (231 cubic inches) and made 110 horsepower. It still had the original odd firing order, and a smoother, even-firing version was soon developed. That was only the start of refinement. Internal friction reduction, fuel injection, and balance shafts have helped the basic engine to now make 205 horsepower, nearly twice what it had 20 years ago.
There's plenty more power available in the old V6. Today's supercharged engine makes 240 horsepower. The turbocharged version in the 1987 Regal Grand National GNX made 276 or more. Turbo versions used at Indianapolis have been known to make well over 800 horsepower.
Not bad for a onetime orphan.
The V8 from whence the V6 sprung also has had an interesting history. Because of its light weight and potential for development, it was used for racing in both sports cars and Formula One. With special Repco overhead cam heads and other modifications, it powered both Jack Brabham and Denis Hulme to F1 championships in the mid 1960s. Tooling for the aluminum V8 was sold to Britain's Rover Group. Descendants of that engine can be found powering Land Rovers everywhere from Beverly Hills to Timbuktu.