Throughout history, performance engines have come and gone, but some have stood the test of time. The engines mentioned on this list were used in racing for many years and stood as important innovations in racing performance.

This is our top 4 list of legendary racing engines that made history with their performance in racing.

Ford Cosworth DFV V8

The Ford Cosworth DFV V8 was the result of pure mechanical craftsmanship with performance in mind. It is an internal combustion engine originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. Manufacturing of the Cosworth DFV V8 started in 1967 in order to power the Colin Chapman Team Lotus, which was sponsored by Ford.

For many years it was seen as the top performing engine in F1 and stood as a powerhouse of performance on the racetrack.

BMW S14B23

The BMW S14B23 stands as one of the M-Powered engines, which have been highly regarded not only with powerful road cars but also in racing. Most of the brand’s championship vehicles throughout history have been using m-powered engines. With the BMW M3 being one of the most popular performance vehicles on the market, this engine can be seen as the power station that made the M3 a possibility.

Chevy 302 Small Block V8

The Chevy 302 small block V8 was used in numerous chevy models from 1954 until 2003, making it a successful engine for nearly 50 years. With the engine’s beginnings, it was used in stock car racing alongside the Corvette and Bel Air models. At the time of its inception into stock car racing, it competed with the larger 8Bbl systems in other cars and beat them with its 376 horsepower.

Ferrari Dino V6

The Ferrari Dino engine was developed specifically for the F2 championships in the late 1950s and spawned both V6 and V8 variants. As Ferrari’s first V6 engine, it was seen as the start of something big for the company and later spawned the v8 version, which used a flat-plane crankshaft configuration.

Most of these engines were the start of great things for their manufacturers and were part of the great racing achievements of many racing teams.