5.0 Litre Wildcat V8 Technical Details
Video of the first run of a Wildcat V8 at JE Engineering. The engine didn’t produce the power expected as the exhaust flanges hadn’t been matched as promised, there was a huge amount of stand off of fuel vapour above the carb inlets from the shock waves causing flow reversal (this can be seen in the video). This problem was easily resolved when I fitted my own exhausts. Ian Richardson appears on screen part way through which is good to see as the cylinder heads, Engine machining were all his work. Some later dyno figures when tested at Aldon Engineering are shown below.
| Block | Originally a 3.9 Litre Range Rover block that was substantially modified with aluminium billet main bearing caps which are crossbolted to prevent fretting of the caps at sustained high engine speeds. |
| Capacity | 4941cc (301 cu”) |
| Bore | 94.04 mm (3.70″) |
| Stroke | 88.90 mm (3.50″) |
| Compression Ratio | 11.25:1 |
| Pistons | Omega forged pistons with machined valve pockets |
| Conrods | Wildcat engineering Corrillo style EN24 H beam |
| Crankshaft | Machined from EN40 billet, nitrided polished and balanced |
| Heads | Wildcat Engineering Stage 1 prototype castings |
| Valves | Inlet 47.75 mm (1.88″) Stainless Steel Exhaust 40.64 mm (1.6″) Stainless Steel |
| Camshaft | Real Steel RS266 Full Race Cam |
| Pushrods | Ford Motorsport GT40 |
| Rockers | T&D Roller Rockers |
| Oil System | Titan Motorsport 3 Stage Pump |
| Carbs | 4 off 48 DRLA downdraught carbs |
| Ignition | Lumenition fitted in Mallory distributor body |
| Max Power | 400 BHP at 7000 RPM |
| Max Torque | 330 lbf.ft at 6000 RPM |
The heads were tested in Cars and Car Conversions Magazine February 1996
Esprit V8 