VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 N.A.C.C. VS bhp rating

I have a 1929 Chev 8880 with a 194 c.i. engine. The Chevrolet Repair Manual tells me that the horsepower is rated at 26.3 (N.A.C.C.). How does that relate to brake horsepower (BHP)?

It has no relation to the actual horse power of an engine. It was a number used in Europe to determine the amount of money the license plate would cost. It is commonly called taxable horse power. It is determined by the bore of the cylinder and number of cylinders. The Chevrolet engine has the same 3 5/16 bore from 1929-1936 Displacement rose in 1933 from 194 to 207 due to a longer stroke and the taxable H.P. remained at 26.33. Advertised H.P. went from 45 in 1929 to 80 in the later years.
That is the reason European cars had small bore engines and US cars with small bore engines were more popular in Europe. Several US engine were used in Europe had a smaller bore than the US counterpart including the 216 Chevrolet engine.