Fuel economy and performance are among the more obvious, but the opposing qualities of a stirring sound and near-silent running are also worth considering. In this article, we're going to focus on another feature: versatility. This can be defined as the engine's suitability in a wide variety of cars, perhaps produced over a very long period, and in some cases its use in other machines which are not cars at all.

Engines which are dissimilar in almost every other way can be equally versatile. The term applies not only to one of the humblest Fiat engines but to one of the greatest ever produced by Ferrari - and, as we'll soon find out, to other engines which bear little or no resemblance to either of them.