Why did International choose to build a V-8?
When designing the first diesel engine for Ford trucks, International wanted an engine that would make the truck versatile, as both a work horse and reliable daily driven vehicle. After all, it was unlikely that a trailer would be permanently hitched to all these trucks and towing be their sole purpose. Therefore, a V-8 configuration was chosen. The prefered V-8 gave the trucks plenty of low RPM torque for towing, and built horsepower throughout the RPM range for better daily driver performance. In comparison, an inline 6 cylinder diesel would peak out at a low RPM and lower performance in the high RPM range, hardly desirable for such a versatile pickup. The V-8 has proven to be the most popular design in a light duty diesel truck.
