The I4 had actually been designed with this in mind and the reverse had been done before by Pontiac, turning half a V8 into a slant-four.
Triumph’s solution was to twin their existing inline-four into a 2.5L V8. But in the end it was decided to use a Triumph-designed engine because engineers were already nearly done with a brand-new engine, and because they wanted to show the world what Triumph engineering could do. There was also the discussion of whether the model should use the familiar Rover 3.5L V8. Initially a 2.5-litre version of Triumph’s own inline-six was considered, but engineers believed it would not provide the power or refinement that GT buyers expected in the segment. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
