The crossplane or cross-plane is a crankshaft design for V8 engines with a 90° angle between the cylinder banks. Crankshaft Continental engine marine crankshafts, 1942 Crankshaft is also the name of a comic strip about an old, curmudgeonly bus driver. ... A BIG FAT ENGINE WITH 8 CYLINDERS ALIGNED IN A V. AUSSIES ARE BIG FANS. GO DOWN UNDER! WOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...

The crossplane crankshaft has four crankpins, each offset at 90° from the adjacent crankpins. The crankpins are therefore in two planes crossed at 90°, hence the name crossplane. A crossplane crank may have up to five main bearings, and normally does, as well as large balancing weights. Crossplane V8 engines have uneven firing patterns within each cylinder bank, producing a distinctive burble in the exhaust note, but an even firing pattern overall.

The other design for a V8 crankshaft is the flatplane crankshaft, with all crankpins in the same plane and the only offset 180°. Early V8 engines, modern racing engines and some others used or use the flatplane crankshaft, which is similar to that used in a straight four or flat-four engine. Flatplane V8 engines may use any angle between the cylinder banks, with 60° and 90° the most common, however Ferrari uses 65°. They lack the V8 burble and the inherent mechanical balance of the crossplane design, but do not require the large crankshaft balancing weights. Modern flatplane designs often incorporate a balance shaft, which is not needed by the crossplane design. The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... A flat-4 is a four cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a flat configuration. ... The Ferrari Gestione Industriale badge on the front of a 330 GTC Ferrari is an Italian manufacturer of racing cars and high-performance sports cars formed by Enzo Ferrari in 1929. ... In piston engine engineering, a balance shaft is an eccentric weighted shaft which offsets the vibrations of unbalanced engines. ...

The crossplane design was first proposed in 1915, and developed by Cadillac and Peerless, both of whom produced flatplane V8s before introducing the crossplane design. Cadillac introduced the first crossplane in 1923, with Peerless following in 1924. Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors corporation, produced and mostly sold in the United States; outside of North America, they have been less successful. ... Peerless was an American automobile produced by the Peerless Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio. ...

See also

• V8#Cross-plane and flat-plane.

• Cadillac V8 engine