Here Are 13 Engines We’ll Miss the Most in the EV Era

True, there will be internal-combustion engines in new cars (and especially pickup trucks) for years to come. But at some point, the responsibility of keeping gasoline-powered classics and sports cars on the road will fall on collectors.

This assumes governments will still allow fuel and service parts to be sold and will permit these vehicles to be driven on public roads, if only for a few months each year. It’s hard to imagine leaders taking such soul-crushing action, but that’s the time when SEMA, MEMA, and automaker lobbyists would have to earn their keep by fighting for historical preservation.

If the unthinkable should happen before we perish, car enthusiasts will want to remember those combustion engines that left us all grinning and giddy—and not just because of their giddy-up but maybe for their affordability, smoothness, longevity, or flexibility across an automaker’s vehicle portfolio.

And, as much as we’d like to honor the work of Rudolf Diesel, the heavy cloud of scandal (and thick smoke) hangs too heavy. We’re also bypassing heavy-duty pickups and their prodigious tow ratings.

Many of these engines you know well, but we also want to highlight those memorable powerplants that perhaps were unsung workhorses or sold in low volume or ended up in vehicles that didn’t last long in the marketplace, for whatever reason.

Maybe these supremely engineered hunks of metal (not ranked, but listed in alphabetical order) will be assembled someday into a politically incorrect calendar for pinning up on garage walls many, many years in the future.

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BMW M10 4-Cylinder

The Bavarians might be best known today for its straight-six engine families, but it might surprise some to see a SOHC four-cylinder BMW mill on this list. It was in production from 1962 to 1988, and variants of the M10 engine went on to power the E30-generation M3 and help push BMWs to the podium of Formula 1 races.

While this engine family doesn’t see F1 competition today, it has become cherished by BMW collectors and enthusiasts.

Chrysler/Dodge/Desoto/Plymouth Hemi V8

From 1951 to midnight on December 31, 2023, Chrysler’s Hemi family found its way into some of the most compelling cars of its era. Sure, the Elephant took a few sabbaticals along the way, but that doesn’t change the fact that this mill has left a permanent mark on motorsports—and especially on pavement at stoplights—around the world.

The Hemi has powered everything from the winged Dodge Charger Daytona to your local community’s air raid siren. Oh yeah, and it became the engine of choice for the ground-shaking NHRA Top Fuel class.

Ferrari Colombo V12

Designed for racing and stuffed under the hood of some of Ferrari’s most legendary road cars, Ferrari’s Colombo helped put the company on the map. While it’s not the only Ferrari V12 engine family, the Colombo could be the most important engine in the company’s legacy.

Thank you, Ferrari, for figuring out how to displace a mere 1.5 liters with 12 pistons pumping furiously. This engine helped make legendary Ferraris like the 275 GTB/4 the special machines that collectors crave.

Ford Flathead V8

Ford’s Flathead has powered everything from streamlined landspeed-chasing racers to French military trucks—and just about everything in between. Starting its life under the hood of 1932 Ford Model 18 passenger cars and ending its life in the United States in 1953, Ford’s compact valve-in-block V8 would help put performance in the hands of the public.

This compact V8 was the springboard for names like Edelbrock and Zora Arkus-Duntov to become industry icons by squeezing more power out of a mass-produced V8.

Ford SVT High-Output V6

This 2.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 in the Contour SVT sold fewer than 12,000 units during its three-year run in the US, beginning in 1998. But anyone lucky enough to have driven this 195-hp gem appreciates its larger throttle body, lighter flywheel, “extrude-honed” intake runners, and an exhaust note that was deep and mellow under a casual foot but absolutely raucous at high rpm.

Oh, and the base price started under $23k.

General Motors Small Block V8

Chevrolet’s venerable small block is nearing 70 years on the assembly line and has powered some of General Motors’ best vehicles. The pushrod small block might be less exotic than other engines, but it has a pedigree that is almost unmatched.

Small block engine production topped 100 million 12 years ago, and the General is spending big bucks to tool up for an all-new small block—all while pivoting toward an all-electric future.

General Motors 3800 V6

This overhead-valve Buick V6 arrived in 1961 under the Fireball name before Kaiser-Jeep bought the tooling and made those engines (branded as Dauntless) for Jeep CJs in 1965. GM bought back the tooling a decade later when it needed a fuel-efficient V8 alternative.

Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, and Oldsmobile all got versions of varying displacement, and the Series II version that came in 1995 (with a supercharged variant later) became known for its durability, power density, and supreme refinement. Production topped 25 million before ending in 2008.

Honda VTEC 4-Cylinder

Among the many bulletproof I4 engines from Honda, arguably the best ones had VTEC, the world’s first valve system that could simultaneously change valve timing and lift on the intake and exhaust sides, starting in 1989. When many engines might start running out of steam—about 4500 rpm—VTEC provided a discernible shove by switching to a different cam profile.

Your favorite Hondas used it, like the Prelude, S2000, and Civic Si, Type R, and del Sol. A General Motors executive once told a journalist that a Honda four-cylinder belongs on every list of great engines. Could there be a higher form of praise?

Mazda Miller Cycle V6

The Mazda Millenia arrived in the US in 1995 as the brand’s flagship sedan and stuck around seven years. Its finest attribute, arguably, was its 2.3-liter V6 that employed the Miller combustion cycle, which was patented in 1957 and used a longer intake valve opening and a two-stage compression stroke, backed by a supercharger for low-end punch.

The result was extremely high specific output (91 hp per liter) and a stunning synthesis of power and fuel economy.

Nissan VQ V6

Maybe you were an early adopter when Nissan introduced the Maxima sedan in 1995 with its sublime, smooth DOHC 3.0-liter V6 with 190 hp that went on to win 14 straight Wards 10 Best Engines trophies. Or maybe you later discovered variants of this highly flexible engine later in the Z car, the Altima, the Murano, the Titan pickup, the Quest minivan, or several luxury Infiniti models.

Revised and re-engineered several times, the VQ continues powering the Infiniti QX60 and Nissan Frontier and Pathfinder.

Packard Straight-8

This is a completely selfish pick as the author has logged countless hours and credit card transactions to keep this 327-cubic-inch iron beast running with its four-barrel carburetor, its museum-worthy oil bath air cleaner, and its expensive taste for rec fuel without a drop of ethanol.

Sure, you have to say a prayer at cold start, hoping there’s enough juice in the six-volt battery to turn the crankshaft until the spark comes. But you make allowances for an engine architecture that dates to 1924—and give thanks when it’s running smooth.

Porsche 6-Cylinder Boxer

Take your pick of magnificent Porsche boxer engines to remain etched in our motoring memories, whether it be air-cooled or water-cooled, carbureted or direct-injected, naturally aspirated or turbocharged, SOHC or DOHC.

This engine with a huge family tree turns 60 this year, having powered every generation of the 911. But this howler became more accessible, in the less-expensive Boxster cabrio and Cayman coupe, starting in 1996.

Volkswagen 4-Cylinder

OK, we honor the original Beetle’s flat-four that evolved into Porsche’s six-cylinder, but more relevant today are the generations of inline four-cylinder engines from Wolfsburg that have been increasingly carrying the water for the Audi and Volkswagen brands as V6s and V8s lose favor. Today, vehicles as large as the Audi A6 and Q7 and VW Atlas are powered by first-rate I4s, not to mention the GTI, Golf R and soon-departed Audi TT. These gasoline engines took European-style downsizing on a world tour.