Whitey Thuesen was a machinist and old-school midget racer who helped build a racing special for the SCCA's F-Modified class, in which cars were limited to an engine size of 1.5 liters.

Thuesen built a chromemoly ladder frame with a rubber-sprung solid axle torsion-bar front suspension, a deDion-type independent rear suspension, and Bendix disc brakes all around. The handmade aluminum body helped keep the car's weight down to about 1,200 pounds.

What really set the Mar-Chris Special (named after Thuesen's machine shop) apart was the Crosley-based V-8 that Thuesen built for it. He set two 1951 Crosley blocks atop a 4340 steel crankcase of his own devising, both turning a custom-made billet crankshaft. Two Franklin aircraft oil pumps provided the pressure for the dry sump oil system; a 1929 Studebaker President distributor provided the spark for the eight plugs; and four Amal carburetors (two to each block) provided the fuel.

So how exactly did this engine work?

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