The next Aston-Martin: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a61206692/aston-martin-valiant-revealed/
Darn it, all 38 have been claimed.
What, no slant 6?
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In the VERY unlikely event that they decide to offer a Slant Six, I hope that they don’t copy GM’s example, and lop-off half of an existing engine. The four-cylinder engine (literally half of a Pontiac V8) in early Pontiac Tempest models was a vibration-ridden, badly-running little engine.
This is better! It has TWO Slant Sixes mushed together to form a V12! 
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It would actually be very smooth because any inline 6 at any angle is inherently balanced. Every inline 4 is inherently UN-balanced…
And as you point out, GMs Trophy 4-half-a-V8 was a horribly lumpy engine because it was huge (3.2 liters) for a 4.
Based on personal experience, under 2 liters, a 4 is pretty decently smooth. Larger than about 2.2 liters needs balance shafts.
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I had forgotten that fact. Thank you for reminding me.
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That half a v8 was awful. Those folks that paid an extra few bucks for the aluminum v8 got a much better car.
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The Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Aspen were so bad. They were one of the reasons Chrysler was going bankrupt.
You’re thinking of the Plymouth Volare (twin of the Dodge Aspen).
Yes, they were both awful cars, but their predecessors (Plymouth Valiant/Dodge Dart) were decent cars.
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Looks like a JDM track car version of a Mustang to me… 5.3L V12?? just use a twin turbo 5.3L LSX V8 with 1200HP… Would probably last longer, can handle up to 2000HP and a much simpler design…
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Your right. Volare. I tried to forget that car.
If you had the misfortune to own one, I’m sure that you couldn’t forget the front fenders rusting-out after just a couple of years, or the persistent stalling problems, or the myriad of other issues with those cars.
In his autobiography, Lee Iacocca said something along the lines of… a lot of people would like to see me executed after owning one of those cars.
At least he owned-up to the fact that they were rolling disaster areas.
My brother did. And unfortunately he knew nothing about cars, so I was his go-to mechanic. Constantly replacing something on it. It was horrible.
I knew a guy who first bought a Morris Marina, and after the crankshaft snapped for the second time, he traded it in on a Volare. After he was nearly flattened a couple of times by 18-wheelers when that POS Volare stalled on the entrance ramp to the interstate, he got rid of it. He said he was convinced that the car was trying to kill him.
Or two V6s like the VW WR12.
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THAT engine is a weird (and clever) one… Built from 2 narrow angle V6’s. Very compact.
The narrow angle Vee with a single cylinder head is not a new idea. Lancia used it in the 1920s for a V4.
Add 4 more cylinders and you have the Bugatti W16:
To me the weirdest variant was the VW VR5:
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I have to agree with that! a V5 just sounds wrong and looks even stranger!
A variation on a theme at VW.