Fav engine from the 70's, 80's & 90's

[IainB]

Have been meaning to post this for a while - just wondered what everyones favourite engine from those 3 era's were?
My list is stupidly long - so I have attempted (albeit not very well) to pick 1 or 2 from each era.

70's - Kent Crossflow or BDA
80's - 2.0 XE or Cosworth YB
90's - Zetec or Honda VTEC (dont know the abbreviations!)

Decided against listing any V8's as a lot of the designs go WAY back.

Your thoughts/suggestions

[Jiff Lemon]

ooooooo damn good post....

Have to go away and have a think....

[jon bda]

70's - Kent Crossflow or BDA
80's - 2.0 XE or Cosworth YB
90's - Zetec or Honda VTEC (dont know the abbreviations!)

Same choices here TBH, can i add the Cosworth DFV as well?, can't really pick a single decade for that one though...


*EDIT*
Maybe the K-Series instead of the Zetec too.

[schrickvr6]

70's - lotus 900 series or triumph S4OC TC
80's - audi 7a 20v turbo
90's - why the vr6 of course, the 1st of it's kind and has now spawned the ridiculous V10, W12, W16 and W18 engines as well as the likely to follow W8 and V4

[Apex]

Rover V8

[Zak33]

sh1t this is a good thread

70's.....the BDA probably....only cos it is STILL so fast, and within everyones grasp.
----

80's...I'd love to say my precious Vauxhall 2.0 RedTop....or even the glorious 1.6i 8v mulitpoint that I have in my own beast...but its not. It was SO NEARLY the Toyota 1.6 twin cam, (4A-GE I think) from MR2 and Corolla.....but still nope....

its the Audi 5 cylinder from the Quattro....ave it. It owns. All versions....turbo and normally aspirated. It is INSPIRED. and sounds ace. And last a long time. and is ace. It even became a diesel later on.

and the 90's...oh the 90's. Most likely the 2.2 VTEC from the Prelude. But maybe the 3.0 V6 24v from the Alfa's. and it MIGHT even be the 1.9 TDi engine that VAG still use today....in fact...thats probably the closet to heaven, cos it is SO flexible and is STILL young now.....

Yeah..the Honda 2.2 VTEC from the Prelude. It is quite simply awesome. and it sounds like ...angels singing.

[schrickvr6]

But maybe the 3.0 V6 24v from the Alfa

I had a 75 3.0l for about 6 months, sweetest sounding v6 EVER, just a shame about the rest of the car.

[Raz316]

I cant really comment on the 70's and 80's but of the 90's cars I have driven (and not many before you tell me how crap it is ) I'd have to say the BMW M40

[Rave]

70s- dunno- Jag V12? Porsche Flat-12?

80s - Well I like the Toyota 4AGE, the first 16V car engine in large scale production, but then I'm biased because I have one. I'd have to say my all time favourite is the Honda V-Four. Once they stopped making the cams from chocolate, how many Superbike and endurance races did it win? It also powered the (IMO) greatest bike of all time, the RC30, and a variant of it is still in production today. The cam gear howl is just sex

90s- dunno again.

Rich :¬)

[dkmech]

I am rather hoping to be a proud owner of one of em Prelude 2.2 Vtecs in about a year (job situation permitting).

As for nominations - for 00s i'd nominate 4.2(? or was it 4)l diesel in the A8 or maybe a bmw 3.0 diesel.

[jon bda]

I had a 75 3.0l for about 6 months, sweetest sounding v6 EVER, just a shame about the rest of the car.

Mates dad has Fiat X/19's and is a member of an owners club. One of the guys actually has an X/19 with an Alfa V6 squeezed in the back...bet that was a tight fit!.

[Vimeous]

Blimey real tester this one! Especially as I know little of 70's motors.

70's
I'd suggest the Triumph derived Turbo motor sitting in the Saab 99/900, hoontastic for the masses, not to mention a singularily distinctive engine note.
I'm also thinking Porsches first road going Turbo'ed 911's. Maybe even the 1.5ltr 450bhp turbo sitting in the 935 racer.....
However it's a tie, the rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishel Rotary in the NSU Ro80 for technical achievement, and the 12 cylinder aircooled turbocharged monster in the Porsche 917/30 for balls to the wind nutterism (1700bhp of it!).

80's
1.6/16v VTEC 150bhp Civic CRX. It squeazed in at the end of the decade but size vs power was the ultimate evolution of the pocket rocket to that point.

90's
TVR's AJP V8's are a superb example of British motor muscle and are bonkers fast.
While I'm not entirely certain I suspect the Scooby watsit crew can blame their motive power on the 90's. I mention it because every time I hear one it makes me grin.
However it's gotta be the PSA 1.9TD. From the early 90's it was the first diesel engine to really show what so many of us would be driving in 10 years time. 92bhp made the Citroen ZX and Pug 306 nippy cars indeed!

[Zak33]

good choices Vim...the 130 non VTEC in the Civics was right on the tip of my tongue too....the Integra EX16 I drove in 1990 was an 87 model and it was awesome......killed my Cavalier 1.6 stone dead as a new Salesman I was bemused...bemused...that my car had 82bhp and the Honda I had just Partexxhanged has 130!!!!! My boss had a Carlton 2.0i with 124, and only the Calibra and Cav GSI/Astra GTE had anwhere near enough welly....and they were 2.0 16valvers....

The Pug 1.9 TD was in my head, but while I love it, its not truly tuneable.....its not adaptable.....not like the 1.9 VAG enhine is. Much as that pains me

911 aircooled flat 6 lovelyness too....I forgot them

[Vimeous]

I'm ashamed I've never driven the early 1.6 16v, I'm envious

You're probably right about the Pug, the VW unit has been around from its original 90bhp form right through a heap of tech changes to give great service like my pa's MKIV Anniversary. The fact it's powering so many different cars now is quite astounding.

Just to throw in a slight curve ball. Despite the importance of the TD to VW I'd hazard a guess that the 1.8T is probably the most important engine for any single manufacturer in ages. When the Passat was relaunched with the 1.8T it went from zero to benchmark instantly. It has influenced every single VW product since and more importantly every single manufacturer that completes with VW on any other level.
Without the 1.8T the Passat would have been an almost car. With it, it set the bar higher than anyone could touch.

Anyway, back to the greatest engines you guys can think of!