61 Buick 215 V8 Engine Specs

While Buick was very much part of the "bigger is better" car movement of the 1960s, the company was also active in creating smaller cars. The 215-cubic-inch V-8 was offered in the Skylark, a relatively small car by the day's standards.

The Engine

• The 215.27-cubic-inch V-8 had 155 horsepower and 220 foot-pounds of torque, making it a fairly powerful engine in a smaller car like the Skylark. The engine used hydraulic lifters, had five main bearings and had a bore and stroke of 3 1/2 and 2 51/64 inches. The engine's compression ratio was 8.8 to 1.

Drive Train

• The engine used a two-barrel Rochester "dual throat" carburetor. A three-speed manual transmission was standard and an automatic transmission was an option. Power steering was also an option.

Uses

• The 215 was primarily used in the Skylark, but it was also used in the Invicta. An unusual attribute of this engine was that it had an aluminum block.