Executive Automotive Santa Fe has your foreign auto engine specialists. Sports cars come as a package deal for the American deal. They come in various designs and are carefully drafted for high speeds and sleek bodies. The engine power that goes into sports cars needs to be optimized for smooth drives even at break-neck speeds. This is why the selection of the engine is very important when it comes to sports cars. Some sports car engines are commonly used and especially designed but others were unlikely choices that changed the game.
Coventry Climax FW Engine
The 1958–1963 Lotus Elite was designed by Colin Chapman. He was obsessed with the lightness of the car to enhance its performance. He wanted to reduce the weight of the car to such an extent that he added enough metal to just prevent failure. He used one of the lightest engines in the market – the 105 horsepower Coventry Climax FW engine, which weighed 1,100 pounds.
This engine was actually originally designed to power portable water pumps and the feather-light weight was easy to carry around. Chapman used the engine anyway and it turned out into one of the lightest cars, which had more horsepower than the best cars in the world at the time.
2.2-liter 4-Cylinder Engine
The Austin-Healey 100 had an engine that was actually designed for Austin A90 and A70 models. The engine had a 4-Cylinder Engine, which had a capacity for 2.2 liters. Originally, it had a 2.9-liter C-Series six-cylinder engine, which was slow-revving and underpowered.
Yamaha-built Volvo B8444S Engine
The Nobel M600 is one of the most powerful sports cars in the world. It goes from zero to 60 in just 3 seconds and the estimated top speed is 225mph. This completely brutal, lightning-fast car actually used the same engine as the Volvo XC90. They use the Volvo B8444S Engine built by Yamaha with a 4.4 Litre V8. While in the Volvo, it only produces a 311 bhp, in the Nobel it produces almost double. The maximum output of the engine is 660 bhp with a normal of 450 bhp. The Noble is optimized with boosts and twin turbos that turn the engine into a force to be reckoned with.
Pushrod Engines
The Buick V6, an Indy car, used a Pushrod engine that turned it into the most powerful boosters. They participated in the GM Series I V6 with the turbocharged engine and ran at front row qualifying speeds. The engine was so powerful that later Mercedes-Benz also built a pushrod engine as a purpose-built and dominated the Penske. The engines were later banned since they were so successful at taking advantage of the rules to turbo charge your car.
Toyota 2ZZ-GE I4
Lotus Elise/Exige uses an engine commonly used in Toyota Corolla to boost its insane speeds. It has 257 horsepower and the car goes from zero to 60 in under 4.7 seconds.
Unusual engines can be used to boost the car with special turbo and booster settings. It’s all about how the sports car engine is used that makes the car run faster and smoother.
Ever wondered who makes better engines, Germany or Italy? Find out here!