Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:11 am by Raticon
My guess would be that the engine was just that, cutting edge, and i do believe that this game at this state will try to represent technologies as they became mainstream.
If one wants to be picky, mechanized direct fuel injection was avalible on the "Hesselman" engine as early as 1925, and Alfa Romeo experimented with electric fuel injection as early as 1940 in a 6C, but these techniques were mainly avalible much later and as such we dont have fuel injection directly from the game start. In 1954 i would say that 95% of all gasoline-engines in the world used one or another form of carburator to feed fuel and air into the combustion-chambers, mechanical injection became rather regular to see in the mid to late '60s mainly in luxury cars and sports cars.
Furthermore, aluminium wasn't used in engines of production cars on any larger scale before the '70s because of manufacturing difficulties, sky-high costs and problems with the parts of aluminium actually holding together without cracking or shattering, and aluminium-lined blocks wasn't very mainstream, but i get your point and i guess it will be considered in due time.
Problem is that you don't want the game to be too complicated or else you will have a game with a fanbase of just a few engine-nuts who knows what's it all about, making it too simple scares away said car-nuts and they will have to balance things a bit, and that's the hard part when you are a die-hard fan of something, to consciencely leave stuff you know and like out of the game to make it easier for people who are less die-hard.
*chugga chugga chugga...VROOOM!*