Autoshite's Iconic Engines

[mikebee]

Two strokes.coming into the power band in the wet,on a roundabout,if you didn't go tits up you were the hero!!or,sitting in the middle of a busy road with stinging hands and wet arse.them wur days😊

[twosmoke300]

Or even it seizing up and spitting you off ! Great - a seized engine in a smashed bike !

[Cleon-Fonte]

Here's my two penence worth:

 

-Rover V8 - it's light, compact, simple, rugged (if treated properly) and smooth as silk. In fuel injected form it could pull up tree stumps at little more than idle speed, all the while making that beautiful woofly rumble. GM got the raw end of the deal when they sold the rights. Best in original 3528cc flavour.

 

-Subaru boxer four - a genuine attempt to offer ordinary folk something better than the norm. In performance flavour it was a 2litre four-cylinder engine that could offer massive power outputs without sounding as unpleasant as a Cliff Richard album. Only engine to which it is acceptable to fit an offensively loud exhaust.

 

-Renault Cléon-Fonte (so good I use its name) - this cast iron pushrod unit first appeared in 1962 slung into the Reanult Estafette van, then lived on to see service right up to the MkI Twingo and Clio. In the meantime it powered the Renault 4, Renault 5 (both generations) and Renault 12. It had a distinguished motorsport career and became one of the first affordable turbocharged engines when it powered the Renault 5 GT Turbo (offering up to 120bhp). It was used by Ford, Volkswagen (in Brazil) and DAF, then best of all it went on to power the Volvo 340. Endlessly reliable and unburstable, even I (whose distaste of the inline-4 petrol knows no bounds) loved it for its smoothness and low-rev torque. It even made a pleasant noise for a four banger. Truly France's A-series.

 

-Any aircooled boxer Citroen engine. Not much to say about these that hasn't already been said better by others.

 

-Peugeot XUD - obvious choice this one, but there's just something about an XUD which is most appealing. Smoothness is one aspect, and most similarly laid out petrols would do well to beat one on that score. The way they behave on the road reminds me of a highly detuned American V8, lazy and low-revving but with a sense of innate power. The noise is also rather pleasant, at idle they sound like miniature Gardner 6LXs with a pair of cylinders missing, which turns into a decidedly non-diesel bassy thrum on the move. All very relaxing, all very characterful.

 

-Volkswagen 1.9 diesel - I've spent a fair chunk of my life around these engines in various flavours, and I have to admit I don't really like them all that much. They don't sound pleasant, emit an annoying vibration into the cabin and tend to be fitted to bland and uninteresting cars. But, they go on forever with minimal maintenance, and do have certain redeeming features. Definitely iconic, but not my cup of tea.

 

The Daihatsu E-series 3-cylinder also deserves a mention for sounding like a box of angry wasps when revved, and for being able to run without oil for miles. As do a whole host of Yank V8s of which I have sadly all too little first-hand experience.

[Tamworthbay]

Or even it seizing up and spitting you off ! Great - a seized engine in a smashed bike !

or seizing at 80mph, clutch in wait a few seconds then slowly let the clutch back out to un seize it if you were lucky. My James Cotswold used to seize so often it became an ordinary thing (not at 80mph though!).

[twosmoke300]

Ex two stroke road bike riders have lightning clutch hand reactions

[myglaren]

All Volvo engines apart from the PRV turd (far better in Pug guise with totally different top end)

 

Exploded in my 265GLE, replaced with the 2.2 4cyl, possibly redblock but then again...

Snapped the timing belt after I clagged a new head on it when the original snapped the camshaft.

Stuck a new belt on and away it went - until the rust finished it off.

Imp engine, had three on the go.  One in, one waiting to go in when inevitable HGF and one on the bench being repaired.  At least they were easy to swap.

Also the SAAB 3-pot 2 stroke. Insane!

[twosmoke300]

My personal favourites

Ford 2.5di

Fiat /Cummins diesels

Fiat Fire

Sv650 bike

Tvr cerbera v8

[mikebee]

5 pot from fiat,volvo,ford. rolls Royce military engines,chieftan 2 stroke,alvis stalwart (stolly) straight eight.and any Napier engine. bmc 6 cylinder engine was nice too.Hondas' cbx1000 6cylinder and nsr 500 single crank screamer,triumph triples laverdas 'jota' triple.