2009 auto engine of the year

[Mazdaj]

What about the rotary in the Mazda RX series of cars? I know they're notorious for flooding issues on cold starts, but with only 1.3L (81 cu. in) they go like heck. Anything you can shift repeatedly at 9000 RPM's that doesn't blow up does deserve a nod of attention. Go with the twin-turbo set up in the 93-95 vintage RX-7 and they are REAL fun!

[tizeye]

Interesting enough there is a guy here who builds what he calls a super car..yet it's powered by a Subaru STi engine..I'd imagine it would be pretty quick being so light and all....he's asking about $US38.000 for it..it's called a Sacker SVS GT..I hope the hell that it doesn't handle like a sacker s*#t

Brand New Subaru 2.5 STi engine.
Subaru 6 speed Gearbox.
New Aims digital dash, loom and sensors.
New wheels and near new Dunlop Direzza's Tyres.
4 pot callipers and New 298mm rotors.
New twin outlet stainless muffler.
New Willwood pedal box etc.
New Updated Headlights & Tail lights.
New Front and Rear Spax shocks.
Includes all body panels, windows, screen etc. Majority of engineering work completed.

[Lowgear]

Thats pretty cool. It may be the color or pictures but its a tad too bathtub kit car looking to me. If it had a V8 and much wider wheels it would be awesome.

Speaking of gas mileage I have whats in my avatar. Its fuel consumption is measured in GPM or Gallons Per Mile. Its only driven rarely which is a good thing.

[badhoopty]

Thats pretty cool. It may be the color or pictures but its a tad too bathtub kit car looking to me. If it had a V8 and much wider wheels it would be awesome.

how about 2 v8's, wider wheels, and no body?
http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0909_custom_speed_buggy/index.html

[Lowgear]

Now thats more my speed. It can really stand to use a body though. The article says that it'll be getting one. I'd be curious to see how it looks finished.

[mrlexan]

I'd love to hear what that thing sounds like.

[skunk.werkz]

It's easily Honda.

Honda is not only the largest engine manufacturer in the world but it has built more successful racing engines, in a larger variety of racing fields, than any company in the world. Honda, at some point in time, has had dominant engines in almost every type of motor sport activity on earth.

F1 engine champs? Check
Indy? Check
Lemans? Check (Yes Honda has one a class championship at the 24hrs of Lemans)
Baja 1000 champs? Check
Touring car champs? Check
Endless sport bike championships? Check
Endless dirt bike championships? Check
ATVS? Check
Personal water craft? Check
Boat engines? Check
Jet engines? Check
Electric engines? Check
Robotics? Check

Then we have the fact that make some of the best general use consumer engines on earth to power just about anything you can think of (lawn mowers, generators, etc).

Or the fact that Honda is responsible for arguably the most important vehicle in history: The Honda Super Cub. More than 60,000,000 have been produced.....more than any other form of powered transportation in human history.

No other company holds a candle to Honda's engine experience, period. If you want something powered by an engine there is probably a Honda version of it....and it's usually (if not arguably) going to be one of the best out of that selection. No other manufacturer can make such a claim

[tizeye]

Sweet I'd agree with all of that..but the list is for 2009's best engine as judged by motoring journalists World wide..I'm sure that in previous years Honda has made the list..

[germanrc10gt]

skunk werkz you must be kidding aren't you.

i do admit honda builds some good, reliable engines. we have had several lawn mowers and
the one with a honda engine always started with ease, that was excellent. other than that, the briggs&stratton
engine on the rapid mower has been working for almost 25 years without any problems. not too bad, don't ya think.
and the kawasaki in our deere x300r is the best money can buy when it comes to cutting a lawn.

talking about cars, just check which car maker holds a number of engine of the year awards
that no one else can match. period. no one even comes close to that numbers. it is unrivaled. it builds the engine of the century. it built the engines for german submarines with its marine gmbh in world war two. after germany lost the war, the allies prohibited them to build any engine for submarines for the next 30 years. know why? exactly. you don't want to fight something under the water that almost makes zero vibrations, and we are talking about diesel engines, please remember that. ever seen the movie "das boot" featuring johann (johann das gespenst i.e. johann the ghost) the engine machinist who fell in love with the boat's engine?
its engines are excellent from a physicall and mathematical point of view. and from their tidy and clean looks, too. take a look under the hood of any japanese rig with hundreds of tubes etc. it's usually pure chaos and mess. and then check cars of this make. do you know something about interferences in engines, mass forces first or second grade or vibrations? ever went to a vorlesung in maschinenbau at technische universität aachen or münchen? ever heard of the advantages of a inline six engine? no i'm not talking of a mediocre audi, mercedes or porsche engine. that company says in its german catalogs: we build 4, 6, 8 and twelve cylinder enginess, but we strongly recommend you buy a reihensechszylinder (six-in-a-row) why? make a comparison: get yourself a audi v6 or mercedes v6. compare them to our r6 and there will be no need to argue any longer. not to mention fuel effiency.

so as i said i second your thoughts about honda aas a great make and excellent builder of a whole lot of different kinds of engines for a large number of applications, but when it comes to cars - you must be kidding.

[transamman908]

Only honda i would want

[LTO_Dave]

Since the Mitsu 4G63's legacy has come to an end, I think the new 4B11 should be in the top 10.

[PBR Allstar]

Since the Mitsu 4G63's legacy has come to an end, I think the new 4B11 should be in the top 10.

As long was we're not talking about the 2nd gen 7 bolt blocks! If so you can take your crank for a walk my friend! but on that note, I've owned a couple '91-2 galant vr4's with the 6 bolt 4g63T motors, one was a bone stock alpine white '91 and the other was a moderately tuned nile black '92 that made 312 whp on 93 octane. I really miss that car!


Yes, BMW has made some great engines, (if you exclude the hand granades they put in the later M3's), But, I don't think there's much contesting the 2.0 TFSI VAG engine. It had some teething problems with the diverter valve, PCV, and high pressure pump/cam, but it's truly a remarkable engine to drive, I just got back from the mountains 7K+ feet altitude, in my A3 and the car just rips!

[LTO_Dave]

PBR, you should have never sold those GVR4's! What number were yours? Those cars that haven't been molested are almost impossible to find. But one day I will own an all-stock GVR4!

And yes, I mean the 6-bolt 4G63. Even though first gen 7-bolts were ok, the 6-bolts are bulletproof. My bro is building a streetable '95 Talon TSi AWD with a GT42 turbo and 1000 AWHP is our ultimate goal.

[slotcarrod]

skunk werkz you must be kidding aren't you.

but when it comes to cars - you must be kidding.

OH NO! Fritz has got his panties in a bunch! KaBoom!

[badhoopty]

whos made the darn list anyway...?