Where Did the Engines Come From?

When you see a high powered sports car on the road or track your first thought is to wonder what’s under the hood.  Many times these vehicles have engines that are made specifically for the car, but in some cases these engines were borrowed or shared with another model.  What might surprise you is to learn that some of the most amazing sports cars we have loved had engines from some of the most mainstream cars on the road.  This allows you to see what can happen when a car tunes up the engine to let out the performance the engine can provide.

Ariel Atom – This car is fast and is used in many cases for kit builds as it’s an easy car to add more body and looks to.  The Atom looks a bit like a rocket ship surrounded by tubes and has an open wheel look to it, but where did the engine come from?  To make the Atom as fast as it is the company uses a turbocharged engine from the Honda Civic Si.  Yes, the Civic is typically sporty, but it’s not nearly as fast as the Atom which unleashes the true power of the engine.

Caterham Seven – This is a small and light build that resembles the roadsters of old.  As a continuation of the Lotus car this design is small and simple but really fast.  This is a nearly perfect racing machine that can reach sixty mph in less than three seconds and you might think it should have an engine that matches its awesomeness, but it doesn’t.  Under the hood of this screaming beast is a Ford Duratec engine that gives it plenty of power and the amazing driving ability needed for the sport of driving the Caterham Seven.

KTM X-Bow – When a motorcycle manufacturer tries their hand at creating a four-wheeled machine this is what you find.  Usually they start with something that will capture the attention and imagination, which the X-Bow certainly does.  Using a two-seater race car design that looks like a wider body version of the Formula 1 race cars of the 1980s, this is a car that will make you take a second look and just want to try it out.  Be careful though, the Audi-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood doesn’t sound like much but it can still get this car to sixty mph in less than four seconds.

Lotus Evora 400 – With any Lotus product you expect to find an expertly designed exotic car that isn’t over the top, but gives you a fantastic car to enjoy.  The Evora was to be a bit of a more dialed down look than the Elise and Exige to be able to create a market for more buyers than before.  The Evora 400 is actually the most powerful and fastest Lotus ever made (not dialed back in that area) and it also uses an engine that comes from the Toyota Camry, a supercharged V6 engine to create the power needed.

Morgan Aero 8 – Even though Morgans have often been called kit cars they aren’t.  These cars are simply made to look a lot like the classic cars of a different era.  This throwback look is paired with modern electronics to give you a car that will be exactly what you want inside and out.  This particular car offers some gorgeous looks and a wonderful drive while using the engine that is the same V8 you will find in the BMW 7 Series or X5 which can be tuned to whatever level you need when it comes to power.

Noble M600 – This is another company that is considered to be making kit cars, but this UK manufacturer offers exceptionally good cars even though this is a small company making them.  This impressive little sports car is one that gives you an awesome and fully planted ride as it is powered by a Yamaha V8 that is used by Volvo in the S90 and XC90.  With this power inside this small roadster you can easily enjoy the power that this engine can actually offer, I guess it just takes the right turn and setup to make an engine be one that is perfect for a sports car.

Pagani Zonda – Surely Pagani makes its own engines.  This car company has been on the rise and continues to bring us some of the most impressive styles and features we have ever seen.  The exquisite lines and curves of the Zonda will take your breath away as it looks fast; very fast actually.  This company did use a sport sourced engine as its power plant by bringing in the AMG-modified M120 engine from Mercedes to put inside the Zonda, which makes this car scream around the track in gorgeous style and grace that makes you wish to be behind the wheel.

Panoz Esperante – It doesn’t sound like a creation that would be born in the Southern States of the US, but rather one that was maybe born in the South of Spain.  Even with the name that doesn’t fit where it’s from, this attractive sportster was made in Braselton, Georgia and is a gorgeous two-seater that can enjoy some great road time or attack a track with aggression.  The Esperante uses a V8 engine that comes out of the Ford Mustang, which really shouldn’t come as any real surprise for a car made in the South.

Spyker C8 – The looks of this car make you know this is a piece of art.  The feeling you get just looking at it is pure desire to drive this one of a kind sports car that has lines everywhere and some seriously unique features such as rear air ports over the rear tires.  This is a car that you are sure should have a high powered V12 under the hood with a supercharger attached, but it actually has an Audi V8 engine to give it the power you want and the speed you need to have a lot of fun in a car that has such an amazing design.

Wiesmann MF 3 – Take a look at this car and you will think it has the wrong name attached.  This car looks like a British sports car from several decades ago but it comes with a German name.  Regardless of this confusion this car is one that looks like a lot of fun on the road and is great for driving with the top down or taking to the track.  Under the hood we see a BMW inline six-cylinder engine to start with that eventually grew to be a V8 engine which gives this car plenty of power.

These ten cars are built from collaboration with some of the best names in the automotive industry.  This is a great way for smaller car companies to have the engine that is right for the car to give you the power you want to enjoy from some perfectly designed sports cars.  Having these engines under the hood allows the car company to focus on the design which in each case you see was a series of fantastic curves and lines that give these cars the sporty look to admire to make the most use of the engines that are in place.