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Forget downsizing.
Here are some of the biggest-engined cars ever built. With this collection of behemoths, size really does matter.
If you though the current crop of supercars were big capacity hitters, take a look at our list of the best big bore motors, arranged in ascending order of size.
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Lamborghini Aventador (6.5-litres)
Every Aventador comes with Lamborghini’s 6.5-litre V12 engine. The 6498cc motor does without turbo- or supercharging, relying instead on capacity for its prodigious power output that can range up to 759bhp in the SVJ model.
This is only Lamborghini’s second V12 engine design. The first was used in the 350GT and lasted all the way into the Murcielago. The Aventador’s 60-degree V12 was all-new for this model and is known by its codename, L539. It uses a different firing order to the original Giotto Bizzarrini-designed unit, but the newer motor can rev more freely and has variable valve timing.
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Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (6.75-litres)
Rolls-Royce’s L Series V8 made its first appearance as a 6230cc engine in the Silver Cloud II of 1959. This increased in 1968 to 6750cc and has remained the same ever since, with the engine still in production today in Bentley’s Mulsanne. It’s estimated this engine has powered 70% of Rolls-Royce cars ever made.
The secret to this engine’s long life was it started out very under-stressed and has been gradually increased in power over time, with the help of turbocharging from 1982-on in most Bentley models. The all-aluminium motor was deliberately designed to fit in the long, narrow bay of the Cloud II, which is why the motor’s ‘V’ between each bank of cylinders is so deep.
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Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 (6.8-litres)
Ignore the 6.9 in the title of this Mercedes Q-car saloon, its M100 V8 displaced 6.8-litres. It was still the biggest engine available in any car the from the German manufacturer at the time and cramming it into the S-Class saloon was an inspired decision. To maintain the S-Class’ reputation for unburstable reliability, each 6.8-litre V8 was bench-tested for four and a half hours before being installed in the car.
The engine block was iron, but the cylinder heads were aluminium and used sodium-filled valves. There was also Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, which was very unusual for the time, and it helped the M100 produce 286bhp. It also generated 405lb ft of torque, which made the 450SEL 6.9 capable of 140mph and endeared it to 7380 buyers when new.
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Lister Storm (7.0-litres)
The Jaguar V12 that was first offered in the E-type in 1971 with 272bhp finally peaked with the Lister Storm in 1993. By then, Lister had grown the engine to 7.0-litres for use in its road and race cars, which competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
To get to 7.0-litres, the engine had its bore and stroke increased, with the road cars delivering 546bhp. This made them capable of 0-60mph in 4.1 seconds. Well regarded for its performance, handing and rev-happy engine, the Storm faltered on its £220,000 list price and only four road cars were ever built.
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Plymouth Barracuda (7.2-litres)
In the battle for muscle car bragging rights, Plymouth outdid all of its rivals with the arrival of its 440 Super Commando V8. This 7.2-litre motor was bigger than any other car of this class in period and made it very quick on the drag strip even in standard form.
All of this came at a price, however. The big block motor filled the engine bay so completely there was no room for much-needed power steering. Nor was there space for a brake servo to help stop the Barracuda. Still, 375bhp was more than enough to tempt plenty of buyers who wanted the biggest and fastest muscle car on offer.
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Dodge Charger R/T (7.2-litres)
Dodge first fitted the 440cu in (7.2-litre) big block V8 to the Charger in 1967 as an option in the original series. Called the Magnum, it gave 375bhp with a single barrel carburetor and the engine was known as a ‘wedge’ motor because of its wedge-shaped combustion chambers.
When the second-generation Charger arrived, so did the R/T, which stood for Road/Track. It used the 7.2-litre engine as standard and customers could opt for the smaller 426 Hemi V8 (7.0-litre). Although smaller in size, the 426 had more power as it delivered 425bhp out of the factory to make it the quicker car.
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Aston Martin One-77 (7.3-litres)
Given its rarity and £1.4 million price tag when new, it’s understandable Aston Martin went all out with the One-77 and its V12 engine. The engine mounts are machined from solid billets of aluminium and the 7.3-litre motor itself was handed over to Cosworth to develop and build. Their brief was to create a motor with at least 700bhp and an all-up weight 10 per cent lower than the standard V12 it was based on.
Cosworth came up trumps with 750bhp and shed 15 per cent of the weight by ditching the standard unit’s shrunk-in cylinder liners in favour of a spray-on coating for the bores. Compared to a DBS, the One-77’s engine had variable valve timing and is also positioned further back and a whole 100mm lower in the chassis for better weight distribution and handling. It also gained a rear-mounted gearbox for the same reason.
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Pagani Zonda S (7.3-litres)
Pagani has sourced its engines from Mercedes-AMG since the beginning and the biggest of the lot is the M297 V12 in 7.3-litre capacity. This is a development of Mercedes M120 V12, which arrived in the early 1990s and was the motor used in the top of the range S- and SL-Class models. Pagani wanted a lot more and got it with this engine when it delivered 547bhp for the S and Roadster models in 2002.
The ante was upped for the 7.3-litre V12 when it grew to 641bhp for the Zonda F Clubsport and the 669bhp for the Cinque models. Yet Mercedes-AMG was far from done and increased power again to 789bhp for the HP Barchetta in 2017. All of this from an engine that started out with 394bhp in 1992.
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Lincoln Continental (7.6-litres)
Lincoln’s 1961 fourth-generation Continental was smaller than its predecessor but heavier and this meant a bigger engine was needed. To do this, Ford extended its 7.0-litre V8 to 7.6-litres in 1966, creating the biggest engine the Blue Oval had ever produced up to this time.
However, the 7.6-litre engine enjoyed only a brief life in the Continental and was replaced by the all-new and slightly smaller capacity 7.5-litre 385-series V8. Even so, the 7.6-litre unit that was built at Ford’s Lima plant in Ohio remains the most sought-after by classic car fans for its rarity and appeal as the grandest engine used in the Continental.
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Rolls-Royce Phantom II (7.7-litres)
The Rolls-Royce Phantom II was the pinnacle of luxury motoring at the start of the 1930s and came with an equally regal engine. The 7.6-litre straight-six might not have had the cylinder count of the later but smaller capacity Phantom III’s 7.3-litre V12, but it was an impressively smooth, refined engine befitting of this car and its clientele.
To achieve such smooth running, the engine had seven main bearings and also featured a one-piece cylinder head cast in aluminium. Dual ignition was standard practice for this model thanks to Rolls-Royce’s aero-engine experience and desire for reliability. For those choosing the Continental model, racier camshafts were an option to increase power, though the factory never disclosed outputs for either version of the motor.
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Bentley 8-Litre (8.0-litres)
The Bentley 8-Litre was the hypercar of its time in the early 1930s. It earned this position not only because a mere 100 were built, but because its huge 7982cc six-cylinder engine was so far removed from those motors used in most mainstream cars.
Everything about this engine was of the highest grade, so the iron block was made in a single piece with non-detachable cylinder head for strength. The crankcase was formed from Elektron magnesium alloy and there were four valves per cylinder. Twin spark ignition came courtesy of a coil and magneto, while the engine had rubber mounts that were unusual for the period. Even more out of the ordinary was the 8-Litre’s 220bhp power that made it one of the most powerful road cars available in 1931.
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Bugatti Veyron (8.0-litres)
An engineering tour de force, at the heart of the Bugatti Veyron and its enormous top speed was the 8.0-litre W16 engine. The engine’s basic design came from two narrow angle V8 engines joined to a common crankshaft. This gave the unusual ‘W’ configuration and the 987bhp needed to propel the Veyron to 253mph.
With 64 valves, four turbochargers and a DSG dual-clutch gearbox, the Veyron was as technically advanced as its engine was large in size. This required a total of 10 radiators to keep the engine at its optimum operating temperature, including three each for the engine and turbos.
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Chevrolet Suburban (8.1-litres)
When you have one of the biggest SUVs to haul around, a big engine is a must and the Chevrolet Suburban has been no stranger to large motors. The biggest of all is the 8.1-litre Vortec V8, or L18 in Chevy-speak, with 340bhp and only offered in the weightier 2500HD and 3500HD models.
During its six-year lifespan that started in 2001, Chevrolet also used this 8.1-litre engine in marine applications and to power a number of large motorhomes thanks to its prodigious torque of 440lb ft from low revs. However, fuel economy concerns killed it off when the 10th generation Suburban arrived in 2007.
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Cadillac Eldorado (8.2-litres)
The Eldorado arrived in Cadillac’s brochure in 1953 and engine capacity steadily grew as it progressed into the 1960s. It reached its zenith in 1970 with the 500cu in (8.2-litre) V8 that produced a relatively lazy 400bhp. This capacity was achieved by using a different crankshaft to increase the V8’s stroke.
This big block V8 then suffered at the hands of 1970s emissions regulations as it was gradually strangled in power to 365bhp and eventually to a measly 190bhp in 1976. Buyers could choose optional electronic fuel injection to boost power back to 215bhp, but its heyday was over.
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Dodge Ram (8.3-litres)
Marrying a pick-up truck and the 8.3-litre V10 motor from a sports car might sound like a shotgun wedding, but nobody seemed to mind at Dodge. At a stroke, it created the Ram SRT-10 complete with engine from the Viper. Fittingly for a pick-up, the engine was remarkably simple with only two valves per cylinder and naturally aspirated, so no turbos here.
When it arrived in 2004, the Ram SRT-10 caused a storm as it had 500bhp on tap and could 154mph flat out. Use the engine’s full potential and it could also cover 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds if you stuck with the lighter regular cab model. This shorter cab version came with a six-speed manual as standard, but the five-seat Quad Cab model had a four-speed auto transmission as its only option.
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Dodge Viper (8.4-litre)
There was nothing subtle about the Dodge Viper, so it’s no surprise its V10 engine grew from 8.0-litres to 8.4-litres by the time that fourth-generation version arrived. This development of the V10 used variable valve timing, which was a first for a pushrod engine. It helped to free up 600bhp and 560lb ft of torque. By the time the final VX model arrived in 2015, the Viper boasted 645bhp.
An even more powerful version of the 8.4-litre unit was used in GT3 racing, producing 680bhp, though this was pegged back to nearer 600bhp in come series. The engine proved very reliable as was under-stressed even in race tune and helped the Viper win several races and championships.
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Bugatti Royale (12.7-Litre)
Everything about the Type 41 Bugatti Royale was big, with the exception of its production number that totaled just six cars. The 12.7-litre engine was derived from a design originally penned for the French Air Ministry but never used, so Bugatti repurposed it for its ultimate luxury car.
The straight-eight motor came with three valves per cylinder and produced some 300bhp. However, these valves needed regularly regrinding and that was an engine out job, making the Royale even more expensive to own for its extremely wealthy owners. The engine drove through a three-speed gearbox that was mounted in the centre of the chassis and, depending on the coachwork fitted, the Royale could top 100mph.
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Cadillac Sixteen Concept (13.6-litres)
Cadillac went right back to the glitz of its 1920s past for the Sixteen Concept of 2003. On looks alone, it grabbed plenty of attention, but what lay under the bonnet was the real star attraction. Here was a 13.6-litre V16 engine that was essentially a brace of LS V8s fused together. No official power figures were ever offered, but it’s reckoned the V16 was good for 1000bhp. Not bad for a car weighing 2270kg.
The 32-valve motor sent its power to the rear wheels via four-speed automatic gearbox and came with Cadillac’s Active Fuel Management that could shut down eight or 12 cylinders to save fuel depending on the load on the engine.
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Napier-Railton (23.9-litres)
The Napier-Railton hails from an era when more power meant going bigger, so it employed a 23.9-litre Napier Lion aero engine to achieve a 24-hour record of 150.6mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in 1936. With a reputed 586bhp at just 2500rpm, the 12-cylinder Lion engine had three banks of four cylinders in a ‘broad arrow’ configuration. This made it more compact and it also used other aero industry features such as dual ignition.
To keep the engine fueled, a 65-litre tank sat right behind the driver to deal with the car’s 5mpg thirst. After the Second World War, the Napier-Railton found a second life testing aircraft braking parachutes at high speeds.
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The Beast (27.0-litres)
John Dodd was not your average Rolls-Royce owner and his Beast excited as many people as it upset. With distinctly 1970s styling, its huge bonnet was needed to cover the 27-litre Merlin aero engine that was mounted backwards from its original use so drive was directed to the rear wheels rather than forwards to a propeller.
When Dodd completed the car, Rolls-Royce took exception to his use of the famous fluted radiator grille, but this only served to get the car more attention. Not that it needed much help when the Merlin engine made it the most powerful road car ever at the time. Even when it had been stripped of its superchargers, it was claimed to make 1000bhp and Dodd reckoned he’d driven it at 185mph with more to come.
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