Here's How Buick's Nailhead V8 Engine Earned Its Name

Given its status as one of the oldest car manufacturers in America, it's safe to say Buick's place in the annals of automobile history is set firmly in stone. Much of that legacy is built on the company's reputation for developing first-rate engines. Like many other automakers of the 1950s, the decade found Buick leaning into motors boasting a little more muscle, and the Nailhead V8 was arguably the toughest they made.

You may not realize it, but "Nailhead" was not the official name bestowed upon Buick's V8. Rather, it was a nickname given to several of Buick's V8 builds, like the Fireball and Wildcat. These days, however, Nailhead is arguably the better-known name for many Buick engines of the era. It may also be the toughest nickname any engine has ever earned. But if you're wondering how the name Nailhead came to stick, it's due to a singular design element involving the small covers used to cover the heads, and yes, they looked a lot like the head of a nail when placed atop the vertically mounted valves.

Slick design and tough as, ahem, nails nickname aside, the Nailhead became one of the best engines Buick ever designed. It also became a backbone for the company's vehicle line, with Buick outfitting several models with the Nailhead until they phased it out in 1967.

Buick debuted the Nailhead in 1953 to replace its already legendary Straight 8. Coupled with the engine's potent V8 power, its propensity for making serious noise when revving made it an instant hit with the muscle car set. But Buick had broader plans for the Nailhead than merely feeding the need for speed of the muscle car set that basked in its 8-cylinder, 340 horsepower glory.

Of course, the Nailhead didn't quite match the V8 beasts produced by its GM siblings at Chevrolet and Pontiac for sheer road-ravishing power. Still, Buick's own V8 beauty gave a bit of punch to various models of the Skylark during its heyday, as well as the manufacturer's Invicta, Electra, Wildcat, and Riviera, among others. The Nailhead was also under the hood of Buick's more luxury-forward cruisers like the Electra and LeSabre. Perhaps more surprisingly, the engine also ran its family-friendly late-60s Sport Wagon.

Even as Buick began phasing the beloved engine out in the late 60s, its power alone reportedly made it ideal for a most unexpected task before its retirement, with Buick fusing a pair of Nailhead builds into a high-powered starter for Lockheed's famed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane. That was perhaps the wildest job the Nailhead was ever tasked with, and it's proof positive that the engine's legacy among muscle-loving gearheads is far from overstated.