Ferrari 3.9 litre V8 wins 2016 International Engine of the Year Award

When Ferrari bid farewell to its naturally aspirated V8 in favour of a smaller V8 turbocharged motor, inevitably, the ‘purists’ were up in arms. And while they may still be simmering, the critics already consider Ferrari’s new engine one of the all-time greats. And that’s earned it the ultimate accolade by being crowned the 2016 International Engine of the Year.

Deciding which engine would take top honours at the 2016 International Engine of the Year award ceremony was left to 63 jurors from more than 30 countries. The jury also hands out best engine awards based on the engine cubic capacity among other specific categories. Ferrari’s 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 claimed four awards this year, winning in Performance, New Engine, engine between 3.0–4.0-litre, and overall Engine of the Year categories.

Currently, the new turbo V8 engine powers the 488 GTB and 488 Spider, as well as the California T (albeit in a lower state of tune). This is also the first time in some time that an out-and-out performance engine has taken top honours. Some of the previous winners include the BMW i3’s 1.5-litre petrol hybrid, Ford’s 1.0 EcoBoost, Fiat’s 875cc TwinAir and Volkswagen’s 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger.

Graham Johnson, co-chairman of the International Engine of the Year Awards said: “It’s a giant leap forward for turbocharged engines in terms of efficiency, performance and flexibility. It truly is the best engine in production today and will forever be remembered as one of the all-time greats.”

Ferrari’s brand new turbocharged V8 wasn’t the Italian firm’s only engine that won big at the event. In the 4.0-litre and above category, Ferrari’s 6.3-litre V12 from the F12TdF was adjudged the best in the category. It’s also the only non-turbocharged engine to win an award this year.

Ford’s puny, yet powerful, 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, EcoBoost continued to impress the jurors, as it’s been voted the best sub-1.0-litre engine for the 5th time on the trot. In India, this engine is offered exclusively in the Ford EcoSport.

Audi’s 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, turbo petrol is another engine that’s repeatedly dominated its segment. Since 2010, it’s been consistently named the best engine in 2.0-litre to 3.0-litre category – and this year was no different.