best engine ever

[gearhead290]

This might get sticky, but what do you guys think the best engine ever made is? I'm looking for specific engine (not I-4 or V8 kinda stuff). BTW if you're going to use an engine code make sure to specify the car it came/comes in. That way we're less likly to lose anybody too bad.

I personally like the RB26DETT that comes in the Nissan Skyline GTR models.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Best engines in my opinion....

-Porsche 911 flat 6, what needs to be said?

-Dodge Slant Six. Those Dodge Darts ran FOREVER

-Honda VTEC I-4, I am continually amazed at what you can do with these motors

-BMW M10 4 Cyl. strong little motor. I got over 400K on one

-Chevy small block V-8 283-400, The fact that the basic design still survives from the 1950's is a testament to it's durability.

-Mazda 13B rotary (RX-7), amazing the kind of power you get from this tiny little thing

-Briggs and Stratton 5HP edger motor, lol, I built so many minibikes and go-karts using this lawnmower engine.

-Rolls-Royce Merlin (P-51 Mustang) 1280 HP 12 Cyl. Supercharged

-Pratt and Whitney J58 (Lockheed SR-71) 30,000lbs thrust (probably more but classified)

-Rocketdyne F-1 (Saturn V rocket) most powerful engine ever built, 1.8 million pounds of thrust. And the Saturn V had 5 of them!

[SilverPoly]

My top two picks would have to be Porsche's aircooled flat six and Mazda's rotary engine.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

935/78

[hardflex]

Best one i've ever been into was a lexus v8. I changed the timing belt after 190k and was in awe of the features and build quality of the engine.

[CamB]

Don't forget the:

- Rover V8 (started as an Olds) - 3.5 litre eventually up to 5.0 litres, all alloy
- BDA

[gearhead290]

wow, I hadn't expected to see most of these. Keep them coming though, this is insteresting.

[Eric Coffey]

I would have to say the 12-cylinder, 5.4L, twin-turbocharged, fire-breathing powerplant of the Porsche Can-Am 917/30 (1500 horsepower @ 2.0 bar)!!!

[Z-man]

Jared: great choices! You know your engines!

My choices:
Porsche flat-6 air cooled. It is a marvelous engine!

Porsche 3.0l 4cyl engine: 944S2 or 968 variety: so much power from a 4cyl: love it! (Then again, I'm biased!)

VW Type 411 engine: it saw so many applications: very versitle

Chrysler Hemi from the old Mopar Muscle cars.

Chevy Small Block from many older Chevy's

The engine in the Acura RSX: 200hp out of a 1.8 is pretty impressive!

[RickC]

Greatest engine? Yea, gotta admit it - Merlin V12.

Ever heard a P51 Mustang or Supermarine Spitfire fly by? Similar to the low rumble and high fan whine of a 911 but with twice the cylinders.

A sound that is beautiful, powerful, fast and a bit frightening. And it helped win the war so that Dr. Porsche could stop designing tanks and start designing the 356!

I think they still use old ones in those fast offshore/hydroplane racing boats.

911 Flat Six is best auto/racing engine of course.

[dd74]

Porsche Flat 6; 13B Mazda, Chevy V8 small block, and the engine in P51 Mustangs, though I thought it was a Rolls Royce.

All four last/have lasted decades. As was said, there is nothing in the world like the sound of a P51 during a fly-by.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

The Merlin is (was?) a RR. I forgot about those--one of the few sounds that actually gives me chills.

Another would be a low-restriction muffler on a Ducati. Whew!

[dd74]

Blue - did you buy that two-wheeled beast yet?

[RickC]

Yes, sorry I wasn't clear. Merlin V-12 was a Rolls-Royce. Why/how it was given that nickname I don't know. But just the fact that they thought to NAME the engine can give you an idea of what it does and how it sounds.

I've heard it said - I think by Julie Andrews of all people (who learned to sing in the subway tubes/bomb shelters) that she could recognize that sound anywhere.

[tabs]

During the Last Great War.. WW2...my Dad was a Tool and Die Maker working on the RR Merlin engines for Packard, who had the license from Rolls Royce to manufacture those engines....for the Spitfire, Mustang P51, P38 twin engine, twin boom fighter as well as the PT Boats which had dual RR motors.

Everybody forgot the Ford 263...289....302 V8....from the late 50's through the 90's....

Or how bout the Mercedes 450, 500, 560 V8's....talk about bullet proof

Or the Volvo cast iron 4 cylinder....bulletproof

Or the Ford 4.6 Liter V8...DOHC...State of the Art

Or a classic BLAST from the Past......the Ford SOHC 427 of the mid 60's....talk about raw HP.... or just the plain Ford 427 Side Oiler...Put ole Enzo to shame in 66...67...

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

There's a reason i didnt list any Ford engines, lol

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by dd74
Blue - did you buy that two-wheeled beast yet?

Unfortunately no. Some financial and medical issues have come up in our lives and as a result we're cutting back on the spending. I'd end up having to sell the P-car to be comfortable with buying a Duc.

Not gonna happen!

When stuff gets settled down I'll be back in the market. Hopefully with slightly more depreciated prices.

[dd74]

P38s I've heard are the most dangerous planes to "bail out" of. The pilot has to turn the plain upside-down to eject. I've heard pilots would get their parachutes caught on the tails and go down with the plane.

Awful.

[tabs]

During WW2 the German pilots weren't afraid of the P38, it was relativily slow and not as manuverable as compared to the Kraut stuff.

However againt the Japs in the Pacific the range of the P38, and speed especially in a dive far outclassed anything the Nippers had. The top 2 American Aces of WW2 both flew P38's in the South Pacific....Dick Bong with 40 kills and McGuire with 38. It was also the plane that sent Yamamato to his grave.

The top scoring Japanese Ace of the war shot down 104 American Planes, and was killed in the Philiphines in 1944 while flying a transport plane to pick up some new fighters. The highest surviving Japanese Ace of the war shot down 63 American planes, was seriously wounded losing the sight in one eye during the Guadacanal campaign in 1942 and virtually sat the rest of the war out...however he had the distinction of being one of the only Jap pilots to shoot down a B29 bomber late in the war. Saburo Saki....the Japanese Naval Pilot at the begining of WW2 was probably the best trained pilot of the day..he virtually had the equivalent of the training of a modern day jet fighter pilot...basically 5 years of training...they just couldn't replace them, nor could they replace an obsolete fighter by 1943 the Zero.

[dd74]

Did Mitsubishisi build the Zero?