Cosworth DFV - Definition

The Cosworth DFV V8 engine ("DFV" standing for "double four valve") was the most successful in the history of Formula 1/Grand Prix motor racing. Winning 167 races in a career lasting over 20 years, it was the product that put Cosworth Engineering on the map. Formed by Mike COStin and Frank duckWORTH in 1958, Cosworth received an order from Ford in 1966 to produce a competitive Formula 1 engine, along with the £100,000 that Ford felt it adequate to spend on such an objective.

During the 1970s it was not uncommon for almost the entire field (with the notable exception of Ferrari) to be using one of these engines (this at a time when independent wealthy individuals could buy exactly the same engine off the shelf that was also being used by McLaren et al.).

The engine was modified to keep abreast of the regulations, and steady development caused the final power output to be almost double that of the earlier variants. It was the advent of turbocharged engines in Formula 1 which sounded the death knell for the venerable DFV.

The DFV spawned a family of follow-on engines, including the BDA straight-4, which was essentially half of a DFV.