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The flatplane or flat-plane is a type of crankshaft for use in engines with a 180 Degree angle between crank throws.
The Flat-plane is used in V configuration engines generally with 8 cylinders.
V8 Crankshaft
The Flat-plane crankshaft is a design that is no longer used in most mass production road cars as it carries more vibrations and is inherently much louder than a Crossplane crankshaft. However, vehicles such as the Ford Mustang GT500, most Ferraris and other high performance vehicles still use the flat plane crankshaft for its higher power output and rev limit.
The way in which a Flat-plane works within a V8 engine is more like 2 in-line 4 cylinder engines mated together with the firing order of each order being in a Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left pattern. Being in this in-line 4 configuration allows for the engine to rev much higher up to 8000rpm making it more suitable for racing engines.