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A Ford Anglia engine powers an Allard Dragon dragster. All images courtesy of the Revs Institute for Automotive Research.
This is truly a NSFW link if you’re addicted to engine porn. You will not get any work done if you lose all self control and visit revslib.stanford.edu.
The Stanford University Libraries just released more than 178,000 historical images related to racing and automotive history in its Revs Digital Library. Simply searching “engine” on the site’s homepage produced more than 1,000 results that will keep all power-obsessed gearheads glued to the computer for hours.
The library has hundreds of images showing from inside race shops and other engine development facilities.
There are images from inside the greatest engine development shops showing individual parts, dyno testing, manufacturing, stacks of inventory and even graphics showing how the more unusual engines worked. There are also exploded views of engine assemblies, engineering drawings and cutaways. Then there are shots from the race track and auto shows to keep a helpless engine junkie from any productive work.
The great names, of course, are heavily featured: Cosworth, Ferrari, Drake, Coventry, Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW, Maserati and Chevrolet. But there are also experimental prototypes. Ever hear of the Ford Stirling engine? And there are dozens of photos from sources not familiar to hot rodders, especially from the US.
Numerous race engines are also featured.
It won’t be long before you’re searching other terms, like Mustang or Chaparral, to see great images of favorite vehicles. You can also search by race track, year, manufacturer, drivers and more. If you’re really deviant, you can search for crashes.
Check it out when you can, but don’t say we didn’t warn you!
