In 1954 Ventnor began work on a new luxury sedan. At the time the only two engines in Petoskey’s lineup were the 261 and the 360. The 261 would’ve been too underpowered to move the enormous sedan, and the 360 was about to be discontinued. Work was started on a new engine, one that would become a true legend for the company. The 432.
Power: 260 hp @3800 RPM
Torque: 382 ft-lb @2600 RPM
Redline: 4000 RPM
Vehicles: Ventnor Sovereign
Years active: 1955-1959
In 1960, the 432 was updated with a new four barrel carburetor. the change in output was marginal, but fuel efficiency was improved. The engine also enjoyed the benefit of running smoother, a vital component for a luxury car.
Power: 261 hp
@4000 RPM
Torque: 382 ft-lb
@2700 RPM
Redline: 4200 RPM
Vehicles: Ventnor Sovereign, Ventnor Priam
Years active: 1960-1971
It wasn’t long before Petoskey engineers recognized the output from the 432 would be useful for trucks. A less refined version was produced in 1960 for utility purposes.
Power: 240 hp
@3600 RPM
Torque: 369 ft-lb
@2800 RPM
Redline: 4000 RPM
Vehicles: Stag
Years active: 1960-1966
In 1962 a new Meteor was being developed. Wanting something more substantial than an inline six, work began on a performance tuned version of the 432. Instantly recognizeable by the dual quad setup, the 432 SHO was born.
Power: 345 hp
@3900 RPM
Torque: 472 ft-lb
@3700 RPM
Redline: 4500 RPM
Vehicles: Meteor
Years active: 1962-1964
The muscle car era was ushered in, thus manufactures scrambled to make their cars faster and better. It would not do well to have one’s car beaten in a race after all. Thus it was no surprise that the 432 SHO got a performance boost in 1965. Not only was the engine used in the new Meteor 432 Stinger, but also in the new Montauk, Rebel, and Romero RTX models. The engine was also used in a special highway pursuit version of the Romero full size sedan.
Power: 400 hp
@4600 RPM
Torque: 464 ft-lb
@4400 RPM
Redline: 4900 RPM
Vehicles: Meteor, Montauk, Romero, Rebel
Years active: 1965-1968
When the Romero rolled off the assembly line in 1967, with it came a new utility 432. While it didn’t steal the spotlight thanks to the muscle car era. the engine still proved it’s worth in everyday driving.
Power: 246 hp
@3800 RPM
Torque: 365 ft-lb
@2400 RPM
Redline: 4500 RPM
Vehicles: Romero, Stag, Workman
Years active: 1967-1971
Many would say 1969 was the peak of Petoskey muscle cars. It certainly showed with the latest version of the 432 SHO. New headers and some additional tuning made the most powerful version of the muscle car era.
Power: 426 hp
@4900 RPM
Torque: 474 ft-lb
@4500 RPM
Redline: 5200 RPM
Vehicles: Montauk, Rebel, Romero
Years active: 1969-1971
The 1969 Meteor IX-4 represented the fastest most powerful Meteor available. However, the newest 432 could not fit in the car’s engine bay. A second design featuring more compact headers was developed.
Power: 424 hp
@4900 RPM
Torque: 464 ft-lb
@4600 RPM
Redline: 5200 RPM
Vehicles: Meteor
Years active: 1969-1971
It is said that the brightest star burns out the quickest, the same could be said for the 432 SHO. While it’s run only lasted a mere nine years, the impact remains that will last for generations.
Growing CAFE and emissions standards of the 1970s effectively killed the 432 SHO, the switch to unleaded fuel and mandated catalytic converters meant that the 432 would from now on be relegated to a utility engine.
In 1972, the next generation 432 was developed. With new emissions regulations strangling performance, this generation was the least powerful variant of the 432.
Power: 197 hp
@3900 RPM
Torque: 299 ft-lb
@2200 RPM
Redline: 4200 RPM
Vehicles: Workman, Stag
Years active: 1972-1979
The 1980 model year proved to be a positive change for the 432 as new three-way catalytic converters allowed for better flow, that coupled with other technological refinements provided a much needed boost in performance.
Power: 281 hp
@4400 RPM
Torque: 345 ft-lb
@3900 RPM
Redline: 4800 RPM
Vehicles: Stag
Years active: 1980-1986
The 1980s saw fuel injection become more mainstream. Gradually Petoskey Motors worked to update their lineup. In 1987, the 432 received a new throttle body injection system. This provided a major improvement to the Stag HD pickups as the increased fuel economy helped bolster sales.
Power: 242 hp
@4500 RPM
Torque: 363 ft-lb
@2300 RPM
Redline: 5000 RPM
Vehicles: Stag
Years active: 1987-1994
The final variant of the 432 was built in 1995 for the Stag Big Chief pickup. This engine used multi-point fuel injection. The final generation of the 432 was the most efficient version on the market.
Power: 287 hp
@4800 RPM
Torque: 385 ft-lb
@2700 RPM
Redline: 5200 RPM
Vehicles: Stag Big Chief
Years active: 1995-2001
That’s not all, as one last hurrah, another version of the 432 was developed for use in the mainstream half-ton Stag. This one was geared for one goal: Speed. Petoskey engineers wanted to see what the latest technology could do for performance on their big block, so the 432 SHO made one last debut.
Power: 451 hp
@5100 RPM
Torque: 475 ft-lb
@4500 RPM
Redline: 5500 RPM
Vehicles: Stag RTX
Years active: 1995-1998
The Stag RTX was a limited run high performance truck. While the truck was fast enough to put many of the previous models to hold the RTX trim in their place, the truck was also known for it’s atrocious fuel economy.
The 432 left behind a solid legacy, with a 46-year production run second only to the 261 inline six. The engines use in luxury cars, sports cars, and trucks has cemented the 432 as one of the most versatile engines in Petoskey Motors’ history.