The first engine of this family, introduced for the 1962 model year as an option on the Fairlane and Meteor, had a displacement of , from a 3.5 in (89 mm) bore and 2.87 in (72.9 mm) stroke, with wedge combustion chambers for excellent breathing. An advanced, compact, thinwall-casting design, it was 24 in wide, 29 in long, and 27.5 in tall (610 mm × 737 mm × 699 mm). It weighed only 470 lb (210 kg) dry despite its cast iron construction, making it the lightest and the most compact V8 engine of its type of the era.