Any thoughts on Manufacturers engines?

Given the current limit on engine configurations - only V8's allowed - I was thinking that it is a common engine layout for most manufacturers - Even Hyundai has a V8.

So a new rule - if a Manufacturer wants to run in F1 they must use a version of a road car engine.

Maybe give them a max of 4.0 litres rather than the 2.4

Must have same bore centres - construction - placement of oil & water pumps and camshafts.

Allow them to move alternators.

Cannot use any engine that is sold less than 10,000 units a year. ( how many cars does Ferrari sell?)

Why not allow Porsche to run a Flat 6 of 4.0 if they can get it to give enough power - without forced induction.

Mazda's rotary is a thorn - because it really isn't equivalent to a piston engine.

This way you can really get the ideal of racing improving the breed.

That will leave the 2.4 Litres for the Harts, Cosworths, and Ilmor's of the world.

No badge engineering allowed - a manufacturer cannot put a name on an engine that isn't related to a street engine,

Combine that with less Aero and you have at least the chance of a few more teams coming into F1.

The current rule of only allowing 12 is wrong anyway but that is a different discussion.

This would have to be cheaper than spending untold millions on 19,000 rpm engineering marvels that bear little - if any - relations to what the manufacturer sells to the general public

All things which are fine for a spec series, but IMHO have no place in F1.

Not a spec series if everyone can run a different engine.

And F1 already has spec tires and engine management ..

Something like that was tried in the 70, I think. It was called Formula Atlantic - a F1 chassis with a 5 liter production V-8. But it didn't catch up.
Anyway I desagree with any technical restriction on engine development. Most of what we achived today in therms of road car engine development came from European competition, including F1. For example: when I was a kid (I'm 56 now), my father´s Ford has a 4.2 liter V-8, that produced roghly 95 CV (HP) at 3600 RPM.
My current VW Polo 1.6 liter produces 103 CV at 5500 rpm. Most of the progress achieved by the road cars came from F1: higher revs, higher compression, fuel injection, 4 or 5 valves per cilynder, 2 to 4 camshafts, variable induction, lighter pistons, thinner piston rings, lighter connecting rods, etc.,etc., etc.
In resume: due to this evolution, nowdays engines are much more fuel efficient, lasting, lighth,...
Competition restrictions like in the US (like NASCAR with it's Fred Flinstone' tech), was one cause of the current American auto industry stagnation, imo.

I think you are referring to F5000 - it was one of the forerunners to CART.

Early design of racing engines did move over to road cars - but there is almost no relationship anymore. In the V-10 days who ran one in a road car? No one. BMW did at the very end of the V-10 era as did Lambo - but then they were outlawed.

If manufacturers were in a position that they have to make their road engines work on the track you would have a chance of something filtering back to the cars they sell.

The original BMW 1.5 Turbo used a iron block from street cars - in fact they were left outside to "weather" for several months to lighten and cure. It led to better performance and longer life.

BMW/Audi/Mercedes/Porsche/Ford/Aston Martin, to name a few, all have roughly 4 litre engines in their line up. Modify them up for racing. Then when you see a Mercedes win you know that it at least has a relation to what you can buy yourself.

Direct brand recognition is part of what makes the Touring car series so popular in Europe. The ability to directly relate an F1 engine to the road car would only enhance the brand.

NASCAR is a breed apart - and while I dislike any oval racing - it does have a fan base that is very devoted. But I don't think of it as racing so much as an endurance of 498 laps to get to a crash and then to a one lap drafting exercise. ( never be afraid to insult a NASCAR fan - if they start chasing you down the street - turn right and you lose them every time )

Some food for thought there.

IIRC, BMW opposed the original change to V8 precisely because they had just launched a road-going V10 off the back of their F1, so the FIA managed to make F1 both more expensive and less road-relevant for them.

I would think life would be easier for the non-manufacturer teams, it would be easier to source customer engines.

Above all, it would re-introduce some variety to the engines again. We could have V8s, V10s, and V12s all on the grid at once, all with very different torque-curves, power delivery and fuel consumption rates.