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Do you remember a Land Rover V8 diesel project named 'Pegasus'?

I remember many years ago that Land Rover was developing an 8 cylinder high revving diesel engine. If I remember correctly it was named "Pegasus", and it was killed off sometime around 1980 by Land Rover’s marketing people who said there was no future for a V8 diesel engine in any Land Rover product. What is your recollection of that V8 diesel engine project?

Asked on 17 August 2013 by JB, via email

Answered by Honest John
Rover had a plan to develop the alloy block 215 cubic inch (3.5 litre) V8 it acquired from General Motors as a diesel engine. Perkins worked on it. Land Rover later fitted a PSA/Ford developed 3.6-litre V8 diesel to both the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport. It never found its way into the Discovery III (which would have made an excellent tow-car). But once the 2.7 V6 diesel was developed into the 3.0-litre V6 diesel, the 3.6 V8 diesel became redundant. See Land Rover entries in www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar
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