STUTTGART: Ferrari’s 4.5-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine has been picked the Best Performance Engine for the second year running in the International Engine of the Year Awards, beating several new contenders with forced induction engines for the title.
Its dry-sump, flat-crank, 90-degree V8 also took the accolade in the Above 4-litre category for the second time.
The awards were received by Jean Jacques His, head of Ferrari’s powertrain department.
The engine that helped the 458 Italia establish itself as the benchmark in the sports car category is now also fitted to the 458 Spider.
The V8 engine makes 570bhp at 9,000rpm and peak torque at 6,000rpm. It can propel the car from 0-100kph in under 3.4s and top speed is in excess of 320kph.
Fuel consumption is 11.8 l/100km, while CO2 emission is rated at 275g/km.
The jury for the recent awards is made up of a panel of 76 motoring journalists from 35 countries who judge each shortlisted engine using their subjective driving impressions and technical knowledge, taking into account characteristics such as fuel economy, smoothness, performance, sound and drivability.
The 999cc 3-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the Ford Focus was picked as the 2012 International Engine of the Year. The Ford engine also picked up an award for the “Best New Engine” and the “Sub 1-litre” categories.
Listed below are the winners in the different categories.
Green Engine
> GM 1.4-litre range extender
(Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera)
1.0- 1.4-litre
> Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger
(VW Polo, Beetle, Golf, Golf Plus, Golf Cabriolet, Scirocco, Eos, Jetta, Tiguan, Sharan, Touran/Cross Touran, Passat CNG, Touran/Cross Touran CNG, Audi A1, Audi A3, SEAT Ibiza FR, Alhambra, Cupra, Škoda Fabia RS)
1.4-1.8 litre
> BMW-PSA 1.6-litre turbo petrol
(Mini Cooper S, Clubman Cooper S, Countryman Cooper S, Coupé/Roadster Cooper S, Mini Cooper Works, Clubman Cooper Works, Coupé/Roadster Cooper Works, Peugeot 207, 207cc, 208, 308, 308cc, 3008, 508, 5008, 308 GTI, RCZ, Citroën DS3, C4 Picasso/Grand Picasso, C5, DS5, DS5, DS3 Racing, DS4, DS4 Racing)
1.8-2.0-litre
> BMW 2-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder petrol
( (BMW 125i, 320i, 328i, 520i, Z4 20i, Z4 s Drive 28i, X1 20i, X3 20i, X1 28i)
2.0-2.5 litre
> Audi 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo
(Audi TT RS, RS3 Sportback)
2.5-3.0-litre
> BMW 3-litre bi-turbo six-cylinder gasoline
(BMW 1 Series M Coupé, 335is, Z4 35is)
3.0-4.0-litre
> BMW M 4-litre V8
(BMW M3 Coupé, M3 Convertible)