when did the sidie v8 rule

In reading William Carrolls book when the hot rods ran Muroc May 15 1938 it would appear that the 4 cylinder cars were still strong contenders when was it that the v8 really took over as the motor to run

 

The flathead V8 took over after the war.........mid '40's up to early '50's, but then people like Ray Brown started doing early Hemis.....others started using Cadillacs and Oldsmobile OHV engines.......death knell for the flathead was the advent of the small block Chevy in 1955......

CB

 

I like the story about Garlits putting a Hemi in his Deuce pickup that he towed his flathead rail with. One day he busted the rail, so he ran the truck through the lights. It was quicker than the rail! The rest is history.

 

I like that a lot..... Would still have a flathead though.