Engines - the legendary one of each type?

[TheAngryDog]

I think this is quite an emotive topic, and that many of us will have different opinion's.

I4 Turbo would be the Cosworth YBx
V8 would be the BMW S62, but only because it a V8 I have owned. I am sure the Merc V8 Kompressor and N/A engines are also great.
I do not get excited about American V8's, they may sound good with their off beat sound but they tend to make so little power compared to their size.
V10 would be the BMW S85 because it's an engine I hanker after.

Otherwise I'm pretty meh.

[pwd95]

The V12 has to be the F1 Ferrari from the early 90's for me. Having been to Silverstone a few times back then & stood at the entrance to Hangar straight right up against a gap in the fence during quali, I can confirm that this noise reaches right in to your soul & leaves an imprint..............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SoZiTxdQyw

[PorkFan]

DanielSan said:

cocopop said:

Also, I think Toyota's 2JZ could give the RB26 a run for it's money, as could BMW's S54.

Likewise Nissan SR20 against Honda's F20C.

There's sod all legendary about the SR20. It's an average engine that makes average power with a snail strapped to it. The F20C is a piece of genuine engineering brilliance.

Exactly, wasn't the most powerful version the turbocharged, Individual throttle bodied, Pulsar Gti-R version putting out IIRC 227bhp..... only 10bhp less than the standard N/A F20C

Same goes for the cosworth 2.0, less bhp with a turbo. If any Turbo engine is worth a mention I'd say its the Evo 9 lump but still not as impressive as the F20c, followed by various other Honda '4s' like the K20, K24, B18, B16 before any of the others are even worth a mention. I dont know much about bikes but Hyabusa motors and im sure a few others are pretty impressive too.

[Huff]

My own alternative contenders for various values of 'legendary':

Single: Manx Norton. You can even still buy a new one. (if not this then has to be the Honda Cub - - is it 100million made? something crazy, anyway…)

V Twin : JAP. Pref running on alcohol in a Morgan trike.
Flat Twin : Citroen air-cooled. A billion 2cvs and 50years with little change.
Parallel Twin : Jowett. two-cylinder, innovative scavenging design for two stroke led to one single V-shaped conrod that *had* to bend every single stroke and did - for hundreds of thousands of miles!
I4 : Honda CB400. Spawned a revolution.
V4 : Honda NR500 oval-piston & 8v per cyl wonder.
Square 4 : Ariel, without which Suzuki might not have gone there.
Flat 4 : Beetle! 25million+ air-cooled units made and runs on anything from brazilian sugarcane upward to blown methanol. Launched whole empires, several of them.
I5 : I'd go with Audi, too
I6: Hondas 125cc 23Krpm wonder of 1966. Utterly bonkers clockwork toy.
V6 : Couldn't care less.
I8 : Duesenburg: ne plus ultra.
V8 : Moto Guzzi 500cc V8 race engine - another vote.
V10 : (they all sounds like two bags of spanners to me, sorry)
V12 : Merlin, yes, also suggest the Lamborghini Muira if we must have a road car here.
V16 : BRM - no doubt there. Also the only entrant in the H16 category...

Edited by Huff on Wednesday 20th May 20:28

[marmitemania]

Hooli said:

boz1 said:

ChemicalChaos said:

I6 - Nissan RB26

Shurely shome mistake?

There are many very uninteresting versions of that engine in uninteresting cars; only the highly tuned versions like in the Skyline can be considered 'legendary'.

I think that one of the BMW straight-sixes that was at least a bit special in all cars where it was fitted has to be more deserving.

Can I jointly nominate the S38 and the S54?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_S38
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M54#S54

Jag XK lump. Made for years & won LeMans.

Beat me to it. No other straight six needs to be considered.

[TankRizzo]

I4 is a toss-up between Cosworth YB and Vaux redtop for me. Both found their way into so many other cars it was ridiculous.

Probably gives you an idea of my age somewhat though.

[interloper]

An awkward persons list...

Single - Manx Norton
Twin - Jap nailed to the front of a Morgan
Triple - Triumph of some description, cannot believe people suggesting the Ford engine?
I4 - Cosworth BD series
Flat 4 - Jowett Javelin engine
I5 - Audi
I6 - Tadek Marek designed Aston Martin twin cam that powered the DB4,5 and 6
V6 - V64V
Flat 6 - That air cooled Porsche engine
I8 - Alfa 8C 2900A engine
V8 - AJP8
V10 - Carrera GT motor
V12 - BMW S70/2 or possibly the Matra F1 effort?
Flat 12 - Porsches 917
V16 - BRM V16

[daytona365]

There's hundreds of really excellent engines that have been made, but what about the absolute crappiest list ? I'd like to nominate the Stag V8 to start this ball rolling.

[The Badger]

LFA for V10, Shirley.

[shielsy]

The Triumph 1050cc triple needs a mention

(this is said mention)

[vournikas]

My vote for a triple?

2002 Aprilia RS3.

I was at Donington for the 2002 British MotoGP, and the noise of the 'priller was so fking motorsport it was unreal.

The first gen Ducati Desmosedici "four-pulse" was an other-worldly sound also.

[Escy]

PorkFan said:

Exactly, wasn't the most powerful version the turbocharged, Individual throttle bodied, Pulsar Gti-R version putting out IIRC 227bhp..... only 10bhp less than the standard N/A F20C

Same goes for the cosworth 2.0, less bhp with a turbo. If any Turbo engine is worth a mention I'd say its the Evo 9 lump but still not as impressive as the F20c, followed by various other Honda '4s' like the K20, K24, B18, B16 before any of the others are even worth a mention. I dont know much about bikes but Hyabusa motors and im sure a few others are pretty impressive too.

The YB Cosworth was born out of motorsport and was highly successful in rallying and touring cars. In road form it was hugely and cheaply tuneable (aren't standard bottom ends good for about 400bhp?. Serious potential in the late 80's early 90's.

[shielsy]

PorkFan said:

...but still not as impressive as the F20c, followed by various other Honda '4s' like the K20, K24, B18, B16 before any of the others are even worth a mention. I dont know much about bikes but Hyabusa motors and im sure a few others are pretty impressive too.

If bhp per litre is the be all and end all, then take your pick from the latest generation of 1000cc superbikes that make approx. 200bhp.

[PoleDriver]

Surely the Jaguar XK engine deserves a place in here.

First released in 1949 it was years ahead of its time and was fitted to an amazingly large number of cars until it was finally pensioned off in 1992!

[stevesingo]

No one mentioned BMW S14 as the I4 legend?

95bhp/lt long before Honda was anywhere near and without variable cam timing. Powered the most successful touring car racer of all time making 370bhp in the process.

[cobra kid]

Am I imagining that VW did a V5??

[AW111]

I4 : Fiat twincam.
Designed by Lampredi (think Ferrari v12). Powered a host of cars, has serious motosport pedigree, and possibly the first "mass market" twincam : it came out in 1967/8, alloy head and all, when most cars had iron-headed pushrod engines.
Also Alfa 1750.

Honourable mention : Toyota 4AGE.
Again, not revolutionary, but a 16 valve fuel injected twin cam was not usually fitted to your basic shopping trolley in the 80's. What was once exotic was now becoming mainstream. They are indestructable, high revving, and Toyota made millions of them.

[daytona365]

cobra kid said:

Am I imagining that VW did a V5??

...They did, but it was more of a wonky straight five than a true Vee.

[cobra kid]

daytona365 said:

..They did, but it was more of a wonky straight five than a true Vee.

In which case, can I nominate the VW V5 for the best wonky straight 5 please?

[Turkish91]

AW111 said:

Honourable mention : Toyota 4AGE.
Again, not revolutionary, but a 16 valve fuel injected twin cam was not usually fitted to your basic shopping trolley in the 80's. What was once exotic was now becoming mainstream. They are indestructable, high revving, and Toyota made millions of them.

100% agree. If we had a less than 2000cc i4 N/A category it would get my vote even over Honda's brilliant B16 engine.