Engines. Most cars have them, and they’re in plenty of things that aren’t cars. But what engine, out of every one ever manufactured, is the best? That’s the question we posed to you earlier this week, and despite the holiday you gave us a wealth of answers. I admire your commitment to being opinionated, but I worry for the time you could have otherwise spent with your families over Memorial Day. Regardless, you gave us answers, so let’s take a look through them.
Chrysler Slant Six
There are so many, but I’m going to throw my vote to the Chrysler slant six. It was a very dependable workhorse for the masses.
Sometimes you have to just appreciate something that did its job well, without any fuss.
Submitted by: KOZEG
Napier Deltic
I have three nominations.
– Ford 300 straight-six. Sure, these do not make oodles of power compared to the engines of today, but they sound awesome and will continue running after the heat death of the universe. Oh, and regular people can repair them.
– Cummins B-series. In several decades past, diesels were dropped into cars and pickup trucks for their fuel economy, not for their power. A late 1970s Dodge truck with a Mitsubishi diesel made less power than a gas V6 from the same truck line, but it got great fuel economy.
The Cummins B-series was one of the engines that introduced consumers to the idea that diesel can have power and fuel economy.
– Detroit Diesel Series 60. While the Series 60 does not sound as glorious as the two-cycle big truck diesels of the past, their incredible reliability is part of why you’ll still find lots of them in use today despite having been out of production for a long time.
Wildcard: Napier Deltic. Just Google it, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
We gotta stop letting the British build things.
Submitted by: Mercedes Streeter
Cosworth DFV
From a competition standpoint. Racing wins. And I absolutely don’t count spec series or where the power plant is only one of two choices in a series. Those ‘wins’ are almost by default. Maximum exposure against other manufacturers means you fought hard.
In F1, it’s the Cosworth DFV
In GT racing, it’s Porsche flat six
In rallying, the Fiat/Lancia Lampredi twincam.
Of no relation to the GameStop stock guy, presumably.
Submitted by: RC in CA
Ford Flathead
Have to go Ford Flathead 4 cylinder. It brought the automobile to the masses, was easy to repair, ran on nearly anything, and there are 100 year old versions still running today.
Not the best-sounding engine ever built, but I guess that’s not really the point of it.
Submitted by: Drg84
Rolls-Royce Merlin
I’m going to say the Rolls-Royce Merlin. It’s the engine that won World War II for the allies, and powered everything from Spitfires, the De Haviland Mosquito, the Lancaster bomber and even the most succesful variant of the P51 Mustang.
Having your engine show up in a P-51 Mustang is almost cheating, because that’s basically a victory by default. Having it show up in a Ford Mustang, though, isn’t nearly such a guarantee.
Submitted by: David Flores
EMD 645E3
EMD 645 E3 Locomotive diesel. Power, sound (have you heard one at notch-8??), and reliability. Probably has moved more cumulative goods in its active life than any other power unit in any form of transport, in human history.
Do all locomotives sound this good when they start up? This is like the world’s calmest air raid siren.
Submitted by: S V
Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8
I’ll throw in the Fairbanks Morse 38 8 1/8 opposed piston diesel. It was designedin the 30s and is still made today for marine applications and generators. In the past it powered WWII submarines and locomotives and still propels ships.
For a more mundane engine, how about the Ford Kent, propelling everything from economy cars to Formula Fords, as well as providing the basis for the Lotus Twin Cam and Cosworth BDA.
“Thirty eight eight and an eighth” is a fantastic echolalia, and I thank you for bringing it to my attention. The sound of these engines is oddly soothing, in an almost ASMR way that’s difficult to describe.
Submitted by: Slow Joe Crow
Honda NR750 Oval-Piston Engine
Way too many to choose from. I’d want to say Busso V6, but if I really had to pick one, it’d have to be the oval piston engine of Honda NR750, the production model. That was HRC’s passion project that, in the end, made not a lot of sense to anyone, but that level of obsession for perfection is what the dreams are made of. I’ve never ridden one, but I knew a race mechanic who bought one of the leftovers (you know, the bubble popped, and there were so many cancellations), and he’d show me around the thing. The whole bike was exquisite.
The NR bikes may not have done great on the track — or well, or okay, or even passable — but damn if they don’t sound good.
Submitted by: JBJB
BMW Boxers
2 wheels: Moto Guzzi traverse v or BMW boxer
4 wheels: Lexus LFA’s NA v10 or Audi inline 5
Somehow, I still have yet to ride a BMW boxer. You could argue I’ve come very close, given that the Ural engine design was largely ripped off from BMW decades ago, but I’ve never ridden one that actually wore a roundel.
Submitted by: Brenan Hudgens
Eric Remy
CFM 56 turbofan.
Unlike the F1, you have ridden in something powered by it since it’s used by both the 737 and A320 families. By far the most common jet engine in the world
It feels like it should be illegal for the 737 and the A320 — the only two planes that still exist, judging by my recent flights — to use the same engine. Sure, the A321 NEO uses amore modern CFM mill, but this still feels like some sort of antitrust violation.
Submitted by: Eric Remy
