WHAT IS THE BEST ENGINE ? IN YOUR EXPERIENCE ?

Gentlemen, I want to talk about Engines, Not simply your standard 6 or high modified 4 bangers, but the Engines that are considered to be the best in their class, Hand made, careful attention to detail by the manufacture. The reasoning behind this thought, is, I just came back from a long distance drive using my wife�s CLK55 ///AMG, the 5.4 V8 AMG hand built engine is truly one of the best I have ever driven, the torque is amazing, it seems like it will never stop even at 120 she still pulls very hard, harder than my 996. With 368hp and 373 torque, it is one hell of a engine, Car and driver and Automobile magazine votes the 5.4 AMG engine on of the best ever made as well at the 3.6 Porsche 996 Engine, both of which I truly love. I had my wife race me off the line (mind you we both had on our winter tires) and she almost took me out, I had to work so dam hard to catch up and finally I took her, but not by much. I am very lucky to have two very fine cars at my deposal. My question is simply this, do any of you have another car that has a wonderful engine, if not, and what engine would you select to be one of the best in your experience? P.S Another beauty is the M5 engine my brother has, I believe it is a 2002 M5, I also love that car as a whole also, if I was to ever get into a four door sedan, it would be the M5.

225 cubic inch slant 6 Chrysler engine from 1960 to 80's....indestructible....

Toyata 1600 T

302 Chevy Z28 racing engine 1967-9.

Great subject here, but needs context to have value & perspective. The question of "What is the best engine" requires criteria such as durability/longevity, fuel economy, HP per litre,.... Do you inquire about only street engines or competition engines designed and made for racing, only? Certainly, the air-cooled 911 engine ought to be near the top of anyone's list, however making a comparison between it and the VERY durable Chrysler slant 6 compares apples to oranges.

A couple of my favorite street engines other than the Porsche flat-6, the 2.6 liter twinturbo Nissan RB26DETT engine in the Skyline GT-R and the 180-degree V12 in the Ferrari Testarossa, 512TR and especially the 512M

Are you guys kidding? Everything pales compared to the engine in my CS.

Very nice your holiness. Here's a great write-up of the CS and GT3 duking it out. http://motortrend.com/features/perfo...112_0404_race/

Hey pope, do you have some "Powered by the Virgin Mary" 1/4 window stickers to go with that cross?

Porsche family of boxer engines (flat6, flat8 amd 917's flat12) and of course the CGT V10. Boxer engine... simply there's no substitute.

996 turbo engine seems flawless to me. no pesky rms leaks! i had an amg engine on my 2001 c32 fail at 9k mi--threw a rod--faulty assembly for this "handbuilt engine". c32 was in the shop for 2 months before i traded it in on my 2002 c4s the esp was too intrusive anyway. good riddance amg. lousy resale for amg's anyway

I guess you forgot those tiny little letters called RMS.

...I had an '02 CLK 55 cabriolet that I traded in on my 40 jahre car last December. WHile I agree that the engine was by far the strongest part of tha car, I've never looked back. The 5.5L had gobs of torque, which it needed to overcome the added weight of the convertible top assembly. While a nice sunny day cruiser, it was not really a high performance sports car. It was not an involving, precision driving experience. Neither is my current summer car, an '03 C32, but it is pleasant enough to drive the family around in or take to the office, given my budget. The 3.2L kompressor engine in that has been reliable, and that car is definitely faster than my CLK 55 cab. Now, in all these comments, I'll be the first to admit that my experience is almost always well south of 100 mph, and I don't track a car. Actually, the X51 engine in my new car would rank up there with my '94 turbe motor as the best I've owned.

All engines have occasional problems. My opinion stands.

I'm taking into account durability and in your experience. I had two of these pushing 200k miles when I was young. I beat the crap out of them and they'd always be ready for more. Nothing like pulling a Rockford in a Corolla SR5.

I like the 1.8T engines from VW/Audi as well as the highly strung out vtec engines from Honda. They are readily available and inexpensive(relatively) and simple bolt-ons(1.8T) can make them sing. Honda seems to be pushing the envelope in most facets of racing. I like boxer engines too ie Porsche-ne one of them. Regards. Mike

225 cubic inch slant 6 Chrysler engine from 1960 to 80's....indestructible.... I Agree. I had a Dart that had something like 180,000 miles on the engine and the body finally fell apart. They engine still ran fine when I junked it. I think it was a 1972 Dart Custom.

my uncle had his early 90s corolla without any problems for 437,000 miles on it's original engine... (traveling business man) car was still running great on the original engine, but he got a raise, so he bought a lexus :> i think it's hard to dispute that the japanese truly make some of the most reliable engines in the world... and if something does go wrong in the engine area, it's usually a minor fix none the less...

For outright durability Toyota 20R and 22R series engines For HP/durability/dollar Small Block Chebbie For my mechanical wonder and best engine noise catagory, the 993 3.6L For the Best power to displacement at over 600hp/liter, 42K RPM's:

The best engine IMHO is one that doesn't leak or blow up.

i'd have to say the best engine noise category belongs to ferrari.. i've always wondered why they put radios in their cars... the exhaust is a 100 piece cd changer i could listen to all day :>

I am very surprised that no one had mentioned the 4.5l TT in the Cayenne Turbo. I am still amazed that it can make a vehicle that heavy move like an airplane, and man, what a note on it. All business. I can't wait to see the 2+2 or M5 fighter from Porsche with that engine. Man, will THAT scream. I concur with the previous M5 engine as well. I am sure the new v10 is in that category as well.

I wouldn't call the RMS leak and occasional problem. Members who have had the seal replaced more then once, or had new engines all together would vouch for that. Luckily I haven't had an RMS problem with my Boxster but to think for an engine that cost over 9k (996) this should not and I repeat should not have been a problem that has blown up to this porportion. But, in the end, you are entitled to your opinion.

Also, I forgot to mention, my very first car, a 1980 Dodge Aries K car. That thing has a HEMI in it :-) No, seriously, it was a HEMI 2.6. The only reason I know is because the running joke amonst friends and I was that car, which we affectionately dubbed "the hemi."

As far as porsche's go, 993TT. All out racing engines; small block chevy, just check out NASCAR. 351C/BOSS302 a close 2nd, but too unreliable. Brute force, 426 HEMI, '69 race prepped version, 510HP.

Chris, what is that thing? I've read that normal fuel has 'only' about 500hp/l in chemical energy in typical combustible form, so it seems to either take alternate fuel or a richer mix. On alternate fuels, I understand that MB diesels can last into several hundreds of thousands of miles; how's that for durability?

Among the best and indestructible, in no particular order BMW 3.0 litre six Toyota Supra 3.0 litre six Volkswagen 3.2 litre VR6

Its an engine that I used to race RC cars with. OS Engine was the engine company that I was sponsored by. Its a .21ci (3.5cc) nitro glow fuel engine. We typically used fuel with 20% nitromethane, depending on track conditions and humidity. Sometime with good grip, 30-40% nitro content. Nothing like over 40K RPM screaming little engines around a rc racetrack

In the racing category I would have to go with Formula 1 engines for there shear sound, technology and innovation. The street category is much tougher there are so many differences that it's truly comparing apples to oranges, but my favorites are: 1)BMW engine in the McLaren F1 2)Carrera GT V10 3)Porsche GT1 (and all of its variants) 4)Ferrari's any of them (their sound is intoxicating) 5)AMG Mercedes engine in the Pagani Zonda

No insults to the AMG 5.5L, as it is a well made engine, but it is not that impressive for a tuner built engine. Look a pushrod Chevy LS1 or Dodge Hemi produces about the same horsepower from 5.7L. It is not hand built nor has all of the special cam and porting availiable to AMG. IMO the most bullit proff Porsche engine is the 3.0L from the 911SC as I have seen unheard of milage on them. I also seen longevity out of the Chrysler 318 small block. The Toyota 22R is bullitproff. As far as impressive power from a factory engine I would have to say the new 430 Ferrari has it and so does the upcomming BMW M5. My favorite engine is the 993TT and a Ferrari 275GTB. Nothing sounds like an old V12 Ferrari.

Ok, Gents, Let's Change the focus a tade, shall we - What is the best engine you ever owned ? I will stay with my first post regarding the P-Car 3.6 NO RMS Here and the 01 AMG 5.4 V8 and my brothers 4.5 V8 in his M5 - What a car....

Mercedes Benz 6.3L in the 1969-1972 300SEL 6.3. 300HP, 434lb/ft or torque in 1970 and in an MB. Here's a pic of it doing what it does best.

I vote for the Audi Twin Turbo V6. Sure the S4 version needed better intercoolers and larger turbo's but the RS4 version, which has all that and more, was just amazing! I don't know if anyone saw the video circulating the Internet a couple months ago, but it was a MTM RS4, smoking an M5 in Moscow. If you have not seen it, go to the link below, right click on Russian Video - Audi RS4 vs.. BMW M5, save it and watch it. It is not for the faint at heart, and its absolutely stupidity behind wheels, but still pretty amazing. http://pages.videotron.com/s4video/

One of the two remaining 917/30's being driven by Otis Chandler's son at Ontario Motoro Speedway probably some time in the 1970's.

The small block Chevy is surely one of the most versatile motors ever. The thing was first introduced in 1955 and versions are still in use today. The same basic engine has been modified for nearly every type of street use and racing. Few other engines can power Grump Jenkins Pro Stocker, Winston Cup cars, Sprint cars, Indy 500 Champs...... The Porsche flat 6 also has a versatile history. Introduced in 1963 it has powered n/a street cars, LeMans winners, high HP turbo cars, Paris-Drakar winners... So, I would vote for a tie between the SBC and the H6 as the "best" engines, at least in terms of versatility and staying power.

Of the ones I've own I would put them in this order: 1)GT3 2)NSX 3)ZO6 4)300 ZX Twin Turbo 4)E36 M3 6)Audi S4

Hmm tough choice, I would say my Continental TSIO-520NB that pulls my Mooney around better than 200 knots above 10,000 feet. 520 cubic inches of air cooled flat 6 with a big Garrett turbocharger. Burns about 20 ga/hr. When your up in the air at night or in some weather, you really appreciate it. A close 2nd would be my 7.3L Power Stroke diesel in my F 250. 580 ft/lbs. of torque and a rumble that warms the soul. The 3.6L flat 6 in my 964 is amazing as well. Reliable and strong. It's all good.

My two cents regarding engines I have owned in various cars: 1. Porsche M96.79 series (GT3) for performance 2. Cummings Turbo Diesel for durability in my truck 3. Porsche 3.0 ltr (SC) for performance and durability.

This Should Do the Job Cheers,

My '00 M5 engine. And the Lexus V8 in my ski boat. Steve