The most legendary engines ever built. The ones that changed everything. Welcome to the Engine’s Syndicate.
Bugatti W16: ten radiators for a 987-hp engine On September 13, 2007, on a closed stretch of State Route 221 near Benton City, Washington, a car built by a company most people had never heard of averaged 256.18 mph over two runs in opposite directions. The SSC Ultimate Aero TT had a twin-turbo V8 bored … Read more
The Renault 21 Turbo had 175 hp, chased speeders for the French police and was rallied by future Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares. America got the Medallion.
Lamborghini marine engines: the 880 hp L804 V12, ten Class 1 offshore world titles, Don Johnson’s Mississippi record and Ferruccio’s Riva Aquarama.
The Lamborghini Formula 1 engine: five years of Forghieri’s V12, the podium the FIA erased, the Lambo 291 and the 1993 McLaren test with Senna.
Free-piston engine: Pescara patented it, GM ran the 1956 XP-500 on it, even on whale oil, and Toyota built a 42% efficient one for EVs.
Adams-Farwell: five cylinders spinning around a crankshaft that never moved. From an Iowa stove factory to a 1909 helicopter and WWI fighters.
Rotary valve engines: in 2004 the FIA banned a V10 head built with Ilmor, the shop Penske funded. A century of oil-soaked plugs and one Spanish win.
Audi V12 TDI: The Greatest Diesel Ever Built, Killed By Audi America never got the Audi V12 TDI. That turns out to be the least interesting thing about it. Here’s the more interesting thing. The V12 TDI is not the Le Mans engine. It doesn’t share the vee angle, the displacement, or the architecture with … Read more
Hartley Engines: The 1,070-HP V12 That Came Out of a Dirt-Track Shop Toyota spent a fortune making a V12 that nobody would notice. The 1GZ-FE went into the Century, the hand-built limousine that outranks a Lexus in Japan, and every engineering decision behind it was aimed at silence, smoothness and the total absence of drama … Read more
JCB Hydrogen Engine: Approved for Sale Across All of Europe The paperwork is signed. Full EU type-approval under Regulation (EU) 2016/1628, certifying compliance with Stage V emissions standards, valid across all 27 member states plus the EEA and EFTA territories that recognize the European standard. JCB’s hydrogen combustion engine can be sold and put to … Read more
Porsche W18: an 18-cylinder, triple-turbo engine patent from Porsche’s worst year, the forgotten Piëch W18 Bugatti and a record year of US sales.
Doble Steam Motors: the car that nearly killed petrol Sit down. I’m going to tell you this one workshop-bench style, because the story is worth telling slowly. Electric? No. Petrol? No either. It’s a steam car. And the company that built it is called Doble Steam Motors. I’ve just typed those numbers and I’m still … Read more
