The Offenhauser four cylinder engine is one of the most incredible power plants in the history of American motorsports.

 

It's basic design was conceived as a boat engine in the 1920s, making about 125hp. By the time it was all said and done, Offy engines raced into the 1980s and were making 10 times the power they were at first.

 

The story of the Offy is so amazing because of the cast of characters involved in its creation, the fact that it survived so many attacks, direct and otherwise, on it from bankruptcies, to world wars, to racing rules and more, it survived and thrived.

 

This is the history of the Offenhauser, from its origins to its heights of success in American racing and how this small engine crafted by brilliant minds and hands dominated competition in a way that we'll never see in racing again.