 Henry Ford still resisted many technological innovations such as hydraulic brakes and all-metal roofs, which Ford vehicles did not adopt until 1935-36.For 1932 however, Ford dropped a bombshell with the flathead Ford V8, the first low-price eight cylinder engine.The flathead V8, variants of which were used in Ford vehicles for 20 years, was the result of a secret project launched in 1930 and Henry had originally considered a radical X-8 engine before agreeing to a conventional design.