In 1985 when the Elliotts were dominating the NASCAR circuit, there was a lot of speculation about their heads. Hot Rod and Circle Track both ran articles about the Larry Widmer, "Soft Head." The design concept was high-swirl and high compression resulting in greater torque but not much more horsepower. It seems that the '86 heads used this concept with the '85 heads making 10 more HP, but the '86 making 15 lb/ft more torque. My questions are how much did one influence the other? What came first, the manufacturer's application of this tech to street cars then experimentation by Widmer? Or did Widmer pioneer the design and Ford passenger car power guys pick up on it after seeing the success on the track. Then, of course, there is the denial by the Elliotts that they even used Widmer's heads. I just wonder because I've got an '86 and it's torquey as hell but those heads are universally panned.
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