The Greateast Mass Production Engines Ever Made?

[Robatr0n]

Beardo said:

SAAB B234R/B235R are worth a shout.

B234, yes. B235 no.

The B235s die thanks to sludging issues and half-arsed breather systems. They're also good for a max of 300bhp thanks to the economic design. The B234R is a damn sight heavier but was built properly and could withstand over 500bhp if you wanted to whack a big turbo on one of them.

[Total loss]

mp3manager said:

JeffreyB said:

There's only one winner - the small block Chevrolet engine. Over 100 million manufactured,

Selling lots of something doesn't mean it's the greatest. It just means that it was popular at that particular time in history.

Steps have sold over 20 million records, doesn't mean they're the greatest group in the world does it?

While you are correct to suggest sheer numbers does not in itself make something great, in this case the small block Chevy V8 is one of the greatest engines of all time.
Used in production vehicles from 1955 to 2002 & still in limited production today for hot rods & kit cars etc.
The diversity of uses, from the slowest to the fastest vehicles in all varieties of motor vehicles.
Probably the most racing wins in history for any engine in every form of motorsport known to man.
So yes, possibly the greatest engine of all time.

I would also like to add the

Chrysler- Dodge/Plymouth 426 hemi

From humble beginnings in 1958 as an everyday car engine, to the addition of the hemi heads in 1964 to go racing with to today & it's domination still in drag racing as the most powerful piston engine on the planet with 12,000 + BHP

[bearman68]

Pug XUD has to be in there. Yes it's a diesel, but bloody hell the thing is indestructible. And then it spawned the DW10 which was even better.
BMW Inline 6 2.5D is a bloody lovely engine. Bored out makes the 3.0d and the 35D everyone raves about, but the base was built all those years ago.
Actually, I do think the VAG 1.9PD engine was and is pretty good.
The old Izusu 3.1 was also pretty indestructible.

I like longevity.

[Klippie]

GreatGranny said:

VW 1.9 TDi PD engine

This...the 130bhp lump in a Fabia VRS was awesome.

[Hasbeen]

The Honda S2000 engines must be hard to beat on any comparison of mass production engines.

Still which engine was used as the base for a Formula 1 engine, which won 2 world championships.

Yep, the venerable old Rover/Buick 3.5L V8. Does any other engine have this claim to fame?

[mp3manager]

K20A

During the trackday season from April to October, I would drive my DC5 for two hours, thrash it around a track for two hours, then drive back home for two hours. I did that almost once a month during the trackday season for five years and the K20A never missed a beat. It still had a 12500 mile service schedule, it still was my daily driver to work and when I needed it to, it made 43mpg when I drove like Miss Daisy.

The greatest engines have power, fuel economy and wood-burner stove-like reliability. No V8 ever had all that.

[Exige77]

Honda K20. End of thread.

[twizellb]

PurpleAki said:

twizellb said:

PurpleAki said:

TVR straight six.

Roll your eyes all you like. I own one in a Tuscan and it's been a fking pain in the arse.

Even more so than the single turbo wankel I had in an FD RX7 track car, which is renowned for poor reliability.

Fair play if you own one, i was thinking you might have been a gobste taking a cheap shot
Whats been the problems?
They are a cracking engine when fit but you have my sympathy if yours is giving you problems

[anonymous-user]

Klippie said:

GreatGranny said:

VW 1.9 TDi PD engine

This...the 130bhp lump in a Fabia VRS was awesome.

Yep, awesome.

[Willy Nilly]

RBH58 said:

Boggles my mind too! I can't think of a "great" Diesel engine

Off the top of my head:

B, C and N series Cummins
Fords Powerstar
60 Series Detroit
3406 Cat
4.9, 6.6, 7.4 and 8.4 litre Sisu, not sure if the 16.8 V12 has earned its stripes yet
Those FL air cooled Deutz engines
That will do for a start.

[Jimmy Recard]

dme123 said:

Yep, awesome.

snigger

'Awesome' is the last word I'd use to describe a 130bhp four cylinder diesel

[anonymous-user]

Jimmy Recard said:

dme123 said:

Yep, awesome.

snigger

'Awesome' is the last word I'd use to describe a 130bhp four cylinder diesel

Ah but they tested it round the Top Gear track and it was faster than a different hatchback with a naturally aspirated 1.6 litre four banger of dubious Chrysler related heritage. Awesome I tell you

[RBH58]

Willy Nilly said:

Off the top of my head:

B, C and N series Cummins
Fords Powerstar
60 Series Detroit
3406 Cat
4.9, 6.6, 7.4 and 8.4 litre Sisu, not sure if the 16.8 V12 has earned its stripes yet
Those FL air cooled Deutz engines
That will do for a start.

I meant in a car context

[lee_erm]

Willy Nilly said:

Off the top of my head:

B, C and N series Cummins
Fords Powerstar
60 Series Detroit
3406 Cat
4.9, 6.6, 7.4 and 8.4 litre Sisu, not sure if the 16.8 V12 has earned its stripes yet
Those FL air cooled Deutz engines
That will do for a start.

I can't think of anything better than screaming up the Stelvio Pass in a Ford 8240 fitted with a Powerstar motor.

[PurpleAki]

twizellb said:

Fair play if you own one, i was thinking you might have been a gobste taking a cheap shot
Whats been the problems?
They are a cracking engine when fit but you have my sympathy if yours is giving you problems

Head gasket, valves guides, cylinder no.6 went.

I love it when it works. It's makes more noise on the overrun that my Lamborghini!

[Jimmy Recard]

dme123 said:

Ah but they tested it round the Top Gear track and it was faster than a different hatchback with a naturally aspirated 1.6 litre four banger of dubious Chrysler related heritage. Awesome I tell you

I had a VW Caddy with that engine but admittedly a little less powerful map (105 horsepower, I think)

I can think of loads of adjectives to describe it before settling on awesome. Words like 'gutless', 'unrefined' and 'flaky' are the first that come to mind

[anonymous-user]

lee_erm said:

Willy Nilly said:

Off the top of my head:

B, C and N series Cummins
Fords Powerstar
60 Series Detroit
3406 Cat
4.9, 6.6, 7.4 and 8.4 litre Sisu, not sure if the 16.8 V12 has earned its stripes yet
Those FL air cooled Deutz engines
That will do for a start.

I can't think of anything better than screaming up the Stelvio Pass in a Ford 8240 fitted with a Powerstar motor.

I don't know, the spine tingling sound of a Cat 3406 powered pump draining liquid st from a silage ditch always turns me on.

I've seen some weird diesel apologists on here over the years, but listing a load of light industrial diesel engines under a thread about great production engines on a motoring enthusiasts forum takes the biscuit

[gazza285]

Hasbeen said:

The Honda S2000 engines must be hard to beat on any comparison of mass production engines.

Still which engine was used as the base for a Formula 1 engine, which won 2 world championships.

Yep, the venerable old Rover/Buick 3.5L V8. Does any other engine have this claim to fame?

Well the Oldsmobile version of the Buick/Rover V8 anyway. As mentioned above, the Kent formed the basis of the Cosworth DFV, as well as the four cylinder turbocharged engines from Hart and Zakspeed.

[twizellb]

PurpleAki said:

twizellb said:

Fair play if you own one, i was thinking you might have been a gobste taking a cheap shot
Whats been the problems?
They are a cracking engine when fit but you have my sympathy if yours is giving you problems

Head gasket, valves guides, cylinder no.6 went.

I love it when it works. It's makes more noise on the overrun that my Lamborghini!

Sorry to hear that, I hope you get it sorted.
I had finger follower problems with my first one and swore I would'nt touch another but went back after a 4.5 cerb.
My second Tuscan was fairly trouble free and they are a nice engine if you get yours sorted.
Do you have the standard exhaust sleeved?
Wish I still had mine

[aeropilot]

Total loss said:

Probably the most racing wins in history for any engine in every form of motorsport known to man.

I doubt the SBC enjoys that accolade in all honesty, and I can think of quite a few motorsports that the SBC probably hasn't won in!
And I say that as a small block Chevy owner
However, that aside, it does deserve its place as one of the greatest production engines of all time, along with the Ford Flathead V8, Merc M180/M186 six cyls, Jag XK and maybe the BMW M10 family.

Total loss said:

I would also like to add the

Chrysler- Dodge/Plymouth 426 hemi

From humble beginnings in 1958 as an everyday car engine, to the addition of the hemi heads in 1964 to go racing with to today & it's domination still in drag racing as the most powerful piston engine on the planet with 12,000 + BHP

It first appeared in 1951 as the Chrysler Fire Power (and associated different names for DeSoto and Dodge versions) and ran through to 1957 in ultimate 392 version, which became a legend on the dragstrip.
A new and very different version born out of the Chrsyler Wedge engines, appeared as a racing engine in 1964, and as the fabled street Hemi in 1966.

Without doubt, one of the greatest racing engines of all time (both in early and later versions) and one of the most outrageous production road car engines as well.