Ferrari V-8 Repeats as International Engine of the Year

For the second straight year, Ferrari’s 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 was named the International Engine of the Year by a panel of 58 journalists from 31 countries.

The victory is the fifth time that an engine has defended its title in the 19-year history of the award. BMW accomplished the feat twice, while Volkswagen and Ford did it once each. Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine won three straight years from 2012 to 2014.

The Ferrari V-8, which powers the 488 GTB 488 Spider supercars, also took top honors this year in the performance and 3.0- to 4.0-liter categories. Generating 670 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque, the powerplant was praised by the judges for its explosive power and “razor sharp” responsiveness.

Porsche’s turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine finished second in the overall voting, followed by the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder mill used in BMW’s i8 hybrid-electric model. Audi’s 2.5-liter 5-cylinder and Ford’s 999-cc 3-cylinder engines rounded out the top five.

This year's category winners are:

• Ford 999cc 3-cylinder turbo (less than 1.0 liter)
• PSA 1.2-liter turbo 3-cylinder (1.0-1.4 liters)
• BMW 1.5-liter three-cylinder electric-gasoline hybrid (1.4-1.8 liters)
• Porsche 2-litre turbo (1.8-2.0 liters)
• Audi 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo (2.0-2.5 liters)
• Porsche 3-litre six-cylinder turbo (2.5-3.0 liters)
• Ferrari 3.9-litre bi-turbo V8 (3.0-4.0 liters)
• Ferrari 6.3-litre V12 (above 4.0 liters)
• Ferrari 3.9-liter biturbo V8 (performance engine)
• Honda 3.5-liter V6 electric-gasoline hybrid (new engine)
• Tesla full-electric powertrain (green and electric engine)

The awards are sponsored by Engine Technology International magazine. Judges rate the engines on fuel economy, smoothness, performance, noise and drivability.