Honda’s First Production V8 Is Here, But It’s Not For Cars

There’s a new VTEC Honda V8, but before you get too excited, it’s for boats

22 Sep 2023

Honda B350 outboard V8 with engine cover removed

Honda has a fair bit of history when it comes to making V8s, but only for motorsport. Now, though, the Japanese company has made its very first production V8. Just don’t expect to see it under the bonnet of a car, , because it’s made for boats.

The BF350 is an outboard motor, intended for boats from 25 feet in length and longer. Displacing 5.0 litres, it’s lazy compared to modern automotive V8s, developing 345bhp at 5,500rpm. It also only uses single overhead camshafts on each of the cylinder banks, but they do operate with Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control, better known - of course - as VTEC.

Honda B350 outboard V8 mounted on a boat

It works in the ‘traditional’ VTEC manner, with a “mild” camshaft profile at lower engine speeds, and a more extreme one at higher RPM, letting more fuel and air in the V8 when you’re gunning it. So, you get more power at the top, yet better economy at the bottom.

Further improving efficiency, there’s ‘Lean Burn Control’ that automatically fiddles with the fuel/air mixture “according to speed and load” when cruising between 2,000 and 4,500rpm. Other tech highlights include cruise control and an automatic tilt function for when you’re moored up.

Honda has made various tweaks relative to its other outboards to make the engine easier to work on. The engine cover has optimally located handles so it’s easier to lift off, for instance, the anodes (the little fins that help combat corrosion) are easier to access and thus replace, and there’s an oil filter flange to stop oil dripping when you’re refreshing it.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s possible to run two of these at the same time as shown in a few of the press pics. And why wouldn’t you want your boat powered by 10 litres and 16 cylinders of engine?

A boat powered by two Honda BF350 V8 outboards

The new engine comes well over 50 years on from Honda’s first-ever V8, which was used only for a single Formula 1 Grand Prix. Its next F1 V8 didn’t last a whole lot longer - the 2.4-litre unit was around for only three seasons - 2006, 2007 and 2008 - before the manufacturer pulled out of the sport.

Its IndyCar V8 stuck around for much longer. Honda built two versions - one displacing 3.0 litres, the other 3.5 - from 2003 to 2011.