The Ford Cosworth DFV V8 leads a list of top 10 engines to race in Formula 1.
Originally published in March on formulaspy.com and rerun recently as part of a most-read story of the year series, this list from Thomas Maher judges the engines not only on winning records but also what engines fans still talk about today.
The Cosworth was listed at No. 1, a position we certainly have no objection since its initial funding was provided by Ford and no other engine with an American connection is on the list. The 3.0-liter naturally aspirated DFV was in competition from 1967 through 1985, winning 12 of 15 championships from 1968 up until 1982. The story includes a link to a video that documents the history of the engine.
In descending order, here are the other engines on the list:
- Mercedes PU106A 1.6-liter turbo V6 currently running
- Renault RS series V10 engines that ran from 1992 through 1997
- Honda RA168E 1.5-liter turbo V6 that McLaren in 1988
- Coventry Climax FWMV 1.5-liter naturally aspirated V8 used in the late ’50s and early ’60s
- Renault Gordini EF1 1.5-liter turbo V6 used 1977-1985
- BMW M12/13 1.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder that reportedly made 1,500 horsepower (see EngineLabs story on the popular myth that engineers used to urinate on the block to help season it before assembly)
- BMW P80/82/83 3.0 V10 used by Williams in 2001-2003
- Alfa Romeo 158 L8 1.5-liter inline-8 that won 47 of 54 races in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s
- Ferrari Tipo 043/044 3.5/3.0-liter V12 used in the 1994 and 1995 seasons
The author says the Ferrari was certainly not the greatest engine to come out of Maranello but as the accompanying video demonstrates, it offered a glorious exhaust note.
Check out the story to learn more about these unique engines be sure to comment if you feel otherwise.