Engineering and development of various aspects of vehicle engines has advanced over time to give us more of what we want on the road. That also means many have gone away.
With the increase in power we can find from smaller engines there are several engines that we admired in the past that are no longer built. Let’s take a moment to admire these engines and remember what they offered us for the vehicle we drove in the past.
Jeep 4.0-Liter Straight Six
This engine first started when Jeep was part of AMC and introduced it in 1964, but it didn’t find its way to the market until 1997 in the Jeep Wrangler. This engine was good for 190 horsepower and would give you a long drive before you could even think it was going to stop working. This engine lasted until 2006 for the Jeep Wrangler.
Nissan SR20DET
This was an engine that was happy to rev up and offered the benefits of turbocharging and a peak drive that you wanted when you chose the Nissan Silvia as the car to drive. This impressive model was built more like a truck engine but was appreciated from 1999 until 2002 as a tough and rugged engine found in the 240Sx that was fun to drive.
Toyota 2JZ-GTE
Here was one of the most popular engines on the market from 1993 until 2002 because it was found under the hood of the Toyota Supra. This inline six-cylinder engine make the car it powered dominant and a tuner’s delight for the fun of the drive. Some tuners have modified this engine to reach as much as 1,000 horsepower for drag strip performance.
Honda F20C/F22C1
The engine that found its way under the hood of the Honda S2000 from 1999 to 2009 was this impressive little power plant. It was a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder model that gave you 240 horsepower for the fun and active power you wanted for the ride. This engine was upgraded to the F22C1 model which gave you 2.2-liters in 2004.
Nissan RB26DETT
Now we see a legendary engine that was found in the Nissan Skyline GT-R in Japan from 1999-2002. This was one of the most impressive engines on the market and it is a popular model to have shipped into the US to be swapped out on some of the Datsun Z-cars of old. There’s nothing but love and power for this amazing engine that’s truly legendary.
Ferrari Dino 3.6-liter V8
Designed with a flat-plane crankshaft which was opposed to the more common engines we see in the US, this engine was the V8 version of the classic Dino engine. The Ferrari engine sounds like tow four-cylinder models in sync rather than giving you the muscular sound of a V8, but this engine found its way into the Ferrari 360 from 1999-2004.
BMW S62
Here’s another cross-plane V8 that got the job done. This engine was the hot rod version of the M62 V8 from BMW. The S62 version was bored out to 5.0-liters to increase the compression ratio and offer this engine an electrically controlled throttle body for every cylinder. This engine found its way to the 1998-2003 BMW M5 which was a lot of fun to drive.
Porsche Air-Cooled Flat Six
The air-cooled flat six-cylinder engine was begun with the 1963 Porsche 911 came to be. The 993 version of this engine was offered from 1994-1998 to give us the power and precision we desired in the Porsche 911. The balance of this engine was amazing, but when it was replaced, Porsche turned to water-cooled engines for the power needed.
General Motors LS6
When the Cadillac CTS-V came to the market for 2004, this was the engine that was offered to give it the power needed. This engine was originally reserved only for the top model of the C5 Corvette Z05, but it made its way to the luxury sports model from Cadillac for two years to give it the power and the fun we wanted for the drive in this amazing car.
Alfa Romeo Busso V6 12V
While you might not be familiar with this engine, it was one of the most beautiful that was ever designed. This engine was found in the Alfa Romeo Spider from 1993-2004. This engine offered a sweet sound from a V6 that had plenty of power to give you the sounds you wanted to hear coming out of the engine bay.
Although these great engines are no longer produced, they can still be had. There are plenty of them on the road and available for sale at the right used car dealer. So, if you’re looking for a bit of nostalgia and the pure performance of days gone by, get searching and see what you can find.
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