The International Engine of the Year Awards for 2017 have been handed out, with the 3,9-litre V8 twin turbopetrol engine (codename F154CB) in the Ferrari 488 GTB/Spider becoming only the fifth powertrain to score back-to-back wins in the 19 years of the competition.
“It is fitting that probably the best turbocharged engine ever developed has secured back-to-back outright International Engine of the Year Award titles,” said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman, International Engine of the Year Awards.
“Its blend of heart-thumping performance on both road and track, with a glorious V8 Maranello rumble and an ultra-sophisticated design that’s loaded with advanced technologies, makes the Ferrari V8 unbeatable for another year.”
This year, some 58 jury members from around the world participated, including CAR magazine’s own technical editor, Nicol Louw.
Second place went to Porsche’s 3,0-litre turbopetrol (the brand also scooped the “1,8-litre to 2,0-litre” class for the 2,0-litre turbo from the 718 Boxster and Cayman), while BMW’s 1,5-litre three-cylinder electric-petrol hybrid (as used in the BMW i8) took the final step on the podium.
Tesla became the first automaker to win the new “Electric Powertrain” category with its Model S and X models. Honda grabbed the “New Engine” award with the NSX’s 3,5-litre V6 turbopetrol hybrid powertrain beating the likes of Mercedes-Benz’s 2,0-litre, inline four-cylinder turbodiesel and Fiat Chrysler’s 2,9-litre V6 turbopetrol unit found in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Ford’s 1,0-litre EcoBoost engine, meanwhile, claimed the “Under 1,0-litre” title for the sixth year in a row (check out all the category winners in the table below).
So, how does the competition work? Well, all passenger car engines in production that are available in more than one country are divided into their respective categories (mostly by capacity). Each judge then has to score their top five engines in each segment. The winner of each capacity category, and the new electric category, progresses to round two, where the overall winner is chosen.
See the full results below…
| Award category | Engine |
| Overall International Engine of the Year | Ferrari 3,9-litre twin turbopetrol, V8 |
| New Engine | Honda 3,5-litre, twin turbopetrol, V6 , electric-petrol hybrid |
| Green Engine | Tesla full-electric powertrain |
| Performance Engine | Ferrari 3,9-litre, twin turbopetrol, V8 |
| Electric Powertrain | Tesla full-electric powertrain |
| Sub 1,0-litre | Ford 999 cm3, three-cylinder, turbopetrol |
| 1-litre to 1,4-litre | PSA Peugeot Citroën 1,2-litre, three-cylinder, turbopetrol |
| 1,4-litre to 1,8-litre | BMW 1,5-litre three-cylinder turbopetrol electric-petrol hybrid |
| 1,8-litre to 2,0-litre | Porsche 2,0-litre, flat-four, turbopetrol |
| 2-litre to 2,5-litre | Audi 2,5-litre, inline five, turbopetrol |
| 2,5-litre to 3-litre | Porsche 3,0-litre, flat-six, turbopetrol |
| 3-litre to 4,0-litre | Ferrari 3,9-litre twin turbopetrol, V8 |
| Above 4,0-litre | Ferrari 6,3-litre, V12, petrol |
