Back Top V6 Engines on Engines Of The Automobile History

The V6 is commercially successful in mid-size cars in the modern age of high fuel prices and price sensitive consumers because it is less expensive to build and has better fuel consumption than the V8, while being smoother in large sizes than the inline 4, which develops increasingly serious vibration problems in larger engines.

1. Alfa Romeo 'Busso' V6

It’s been around in some form or another since 1979. It eventually grew to 3.2 litres, powering the likes of the 147 and 156 GTA, plus the GT. Classed as the best sounding V6 engine of all time, this legendary power unit is music for gearhead ears all over the world.

 

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2.Porsche M97/74

The last in a long line of race-derived ‘Mezger’ Porsche flat-sixes, this one’s really something special. We’d already been treated to a 3.8-litre flat-six in the 997 GT3 RS, when Porsche decided to enlarge it to 4.0 litres to create the M97/74. An increase in stroke supplied the bump in displacement, while the crankshaft came from Porsche’s 911 RSR and GT3 R race machines. The 4.0 litre’s peak power of 493bhp arrives at 8250rpm, with its full 339lb ft of twist coming in at 5750rpm.

 

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3. BMW S54

With the amount of love for the S54, we’d probably start a riot by not having M Division’s finest six-pot here. But that’s fine, as it more than deserves a place. Its many achievements include kicking out over 100bhp per litre despite being naturally-aspirated, picking up a ridiculous amount of awards, and powering the celebrated E46 M3.

 

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4. BMW N54

It might not enjoy quite the same revered status of the S54, but the twin-turbo N54 has plenty of admirers. It’s not hard to see why: it’s a punchy thing that produces up to 335bhp, it sounds great, and it’s a tuneable engine. In fact, a simple remap can safely crank the power up to 400bhp.

It’s also an unusual anomaly in the world of BMW, being a non-S-designated engine that went on to power an M Car: the 1M. BMW is going for the same tactic with the N54’s successor - the single, twin-scroll turbocharged N55, which in modified form will power the incoming M2.

 

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5. Jaguar AJ126

In a world where most of its rivals are going down turbocharged avenues, you have to give Jaguar a nod of respect for sticking to superchargers with its V6 and V8 engines. That’s why the AJ126 V6 is here, itself developed from the older AJ-V8 Jaguar has been using since the year 2000. It’s in its most potent state of tune in the F-Type S, where it develops 375bhp .

 

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Monday, 19 June 2017 15:27