The 20 greatest road car engines
-
Get your motor running
© AudiFor many motorists, the greatest engine is the one that delivers thousands of miles of loyal service and doesn’t leave them stranded on the hard shoulder of a motorway. For others, the greatest engine could be the most powerful or the most economical. There are hundreds of possible candidates, but we’ve narrowed the list to 20 of our favourite engines. Prepare yourself for a second volume, because there are many more we could have mentioned.
-
Ferrari ‘Colombo’ V12
© FerrariThe Colombo V12 is the most significant engine in Ferrari’s long and illustrious history. Designed by Gioacchino Colombo, the 1.5-litre V12 powered Ferrari’s first car: the 125 S of 1947. Amazingly, the Colombo V12 lived on until 1988, by which time it had grown to 4.9 litres, bowing out in the fuel-injected Ferrari 412i.
-
Lamborghini V12
© LamborghiniLike Ferrari’s Colombo V12, this Giotto Bizzarrini-designed V12 enjoyed a long career powering a range of Lamborghini road cars. It all started with the 3.5-litre 350 GT of 1963, but the V12 remained in use until 2011 when a revised version was introduced for the Aventador. By then, the naturally aspirated V12 had grown to 6.5 litres and was mounted in the middle of a Murcielago.
-
Lamborghini V10
© LamborghiniLamborghini’s V10 engine made its debut in the Gallardo in 2003, but has gone on to power the Huracan and Sesto Elemento, plus the Asterion and Egoista concept cars. It was the first engine to be developed by Lamborghini after Audi bought the company in 1998, so it was no surprise when it made its way into the R8 supercar, S8 saloon and S6/RS6 saloon/estate. Its swansong is in the R8 GT RWD and Huracan Sterrato.
-
McLaren F1 V12
© McLarenAs McLaren’s F1 engine supplier, Honda was the obvious choice when the company required something to power its new supercar. But when the Japanese giant failed to deliver, Woking turned to BMW for help. The result was a four-cam, 48-valve, 60-degree 6.0-litre V12 developing over 550hp at 7,500rpm. Amazingly, it was smaller than the contemporary 3.5-litre F1 engines.
-
Chevrolet small-block V8
© ChevroletNo list of the world’s greatest engines would be complete without the Chevrolet small-block V8. It made its debut 70 years ago in 1954 and is still in production today, albeit in ‘crate’ form. Some 100 million examples have been built, with displacements ranging from 4.3 litres to 7.1 litres. Its many applications include the Corvette, Chevrolet Bel Air, Gordon-Keeble, Buick Roadmaster and Hummer H1.
-
Porsche flat-six
© PorschePorsche’s family of ‘flat’ engines can be traced back to the Volkswagen Beetle, when its 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine was used in the 356-001. Further engines followed, all of which were air-cooled until the arrival of the 996. Today’s entry-level 911 Carrera is powered by a 3.0-litre flat-six producing 394hp, and can sprint from zero to 62mph in just 3.9 seconds.
-
Honda F20C
© HondaHonda has a long history of producing fine engines, but the F20C is one of its best. Developed for the S2000 sports car, the four-cylinder engine produces 124hp per litre at a 9,000rpm redline – the highest output of a mass-produced engine until the arrival of the Ferrari 458 in 2010. It feels a bit underwhelming until the VTEC kicks in (yo!) at 5,850rpm.
-
Alfa Romeo Busso V6
© Alfa RomeoThe Alfa Romeo V6 was designed by Giuseppe Busso and is known for its polished inlet manifolds and soulful soundtrack. It premiered as a 2.5-litre V6 in the Alfa 6, but later versions ranged from 2.0 litres to 3.2 litres. Production ran from 1979 until 2005, with Evo magazine calling it ‘the most glorious-sounding six-cylinder road engine ever’. Meanwhile, Classic & Sports Car described it as ‘the best sounding engine this side of a Maserati V8’.
-
Audi five-cylinder
© AudiAlthough it’s most famous for powering Audi’s all-conquering rally car, the five-cylinder engine made its debut in 1976 in the second-generation Audi 100. It was good, but turbocharging took the five-pot to a new level of greatness, with the Quattro of 1980 adding an intercooler and permanent four-wheel drive. A diesel version had arrived in 1978, but the five-cylinder was phased out in 1997, only to make a comeback in 2009 in the Audi TT RS.
-
Subaru flat-four
© SubaruSubaru’s flat-four ‘boxer’ engine can trace its roots back to the aircraft industry, but it made its automotive debut in the 1966 Subaru 1000. The EA lived on until 1994, by which time it had powered everything from the Brat to the XT. It was good, but what arrived in 1988 was even better, with the 16-valve EJ powering a succession of Subaru performance and rally cars. Capacities ranged from 1.5 litres to 2.5 litres.
-
BMW 5.0-litre V10
© BMWBMW dominated the International Engine of the Year competition in the 2000s, with the 3.2-litre straight-six (S54), 4.4-litre V8 (N62), 5.0-litre V10 (S85) and 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six (N54) all receiving top awards. Our pick is the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10 found in the E60 M5 and E63 M6. It sounded like the engine from a supercar and offered the performance to match, with a 0-62mph time of just 4.7 seconds.
-
Lotus Twin-Cam
© NewspressIn 1962, Ford launched the new 116E cast-iron block with a five-bearing crankshaft. Within a matter of weeks, Lotus had turned this into a twin-cam racing prototype, which powered a Lotus 23 in the 1,000km race at the Nürburgring. It made its road car debut in the Elan of 1962, before being installed in the Lotus Cortina in 1963.
-
Bugatti W16
© BugattiBugatti’s 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 is the only 16-cylinder engine to be used in a car. It made its debut in the Veyron 16:4 of 2005: the first of a new breed of hypercars. Thanks to 987hp, the Veyron 16:4 could sprint from zero to 62mph in just 2.5 seconds, before hitting a top speed of over 400km/h (248mph). The Veyron Super Sport went even faster, setting a new record of 267.86mph.
-
Jaguar XK straight-six
© HistoricsJaguar’s engineers spent time during the Second World War planning a series of four- and six-cylinder engines. A six-pot version of its XK engine was tested for the first time in 1947 before making its debut at the 1948 London Motor Show in the Jaguar XK120. The sports car was powered by a 3.4-litre straight-six with a pair of SU carburettors, helping it to become the world’s fastest production car. The XK engine lived on until 1992.
-
Ferrari 3.9-litre V8
© FerrariFerrari’s 3.9-litre V8 won the International Engine of the Year award for four consecutive years from 2016 to 2019. It made its debut in the Ferrari California T, but remains in production today, powering the SF90 Stradale and SF90 Spider. The engine has been heavily updated with features such as new high-pressure fuel injection, giving. This gives it 780hp – the highest output of any Ferrari V8 ever.
-
Alfa Romeo Twin-Cam
© Alfa RomeoAlthough Giuseppe Busso’s V6 tends to hog the limelight, his four-cylinder Twin-Cam – known in Italy as the ‘bialbero’ (twin-shaft) – was another cracker. So much so that it remained in production for forty years, from 1954 until 1994. The four-cylinder engine featured a cast-aluminium block and made its debut in the Giulietta, before bowing out in the Spider.
-
Cadillac V16
© Nick.Pr – WikimediaCadillac had been using V8 engines since 1915, but by the end of the 1920s it wanted something more powerful. Ruling out supercharging, the American giant doubled the number of pistons, creating an engine with a pair of V8 cylinder blocks mounted to an aluminium-alloy crankcase. It debuted in the Cadillac V-16 (Sixteen) of 1929, launched just in time for the Great Depression…
-
Fiat TwinAir
© FiatThe Fiat TwinAir is one of the greatest small engines of the modern era. Despite boasting just two cylinders, 875cc and 85hp, it does a fabulous job of powering a city car or supermini, not to mention making a noise that will raise a smile whenever you plant your right foot. Just don’t mention the fuel economy, which never comes close to the official figures.
-
BMC A-series
© ColinMB – WikimediaThe BMC A-series was the engine that powered Britain, found in everything from the Morris Minor to the Metro, and the MG Midget to the Mini. As well as being highly tunable, the A-series enjoyed an incredible lifespan, remaining in production from 1951 until 2000. A British institution.
-
PSA XUD
© Vaa – WikimediaThere are many other engines we could have included. Nissan’s RB26, Bugatti’s straight-eight, Citroen’s flat-twin and Ford’s small-block V8, to name a few. But we’re giving the last (and loud) word to PSA’s XUD diesel, which powered a range of family cars, including the Citroen BX, Peugeot 306 and Lada Niva. It provided economical and reliable motoring to millions of motorists.
