With the coming of the inevitable storm that is the electric powered car, it's sad to think that the combustible engine will become a thing of the past, an old relic. It's a shame, really, considering that there are so many different types of engines. The engine is the heartbeat and soul of a car, the essence, it's what gives a car its character, its charm, and it's what makes it unique.
With the advent of the electric car, though, there are no different types of engines, only one, and it's completely silent. This means that the soul of the car is no more, only surface elements will give a car its character. They'll all drive pretty much the same, too. It's a shame, really, but we're not through with the combustible engine just yet. Whether you want a boxer 4 engine, a V6 engine, a whopping V8, V12, or even a crazy german W16 engine, there's a myriad of different configurations, and a million more ways to make engines within those configurations. It's wonderful, expressive, and virtually infinite.
One of the best engines, on all fronts, is the straight six. This engine will perform extremely well, sound amazing, and is well balanced, expressive, and quite efficient. Some pretty incredible cars have been made even more incredible by a raucous straight six underneath the hood. Let's take a little time to feast our eyes on 20 straight six engines (and their cars) worth every penny, and 5 that are not worth it.
25 E-Type Jaguar
Get ready for a fair number of classic cars on this list, because there was a long stretch of time where the straight six was forgotten, becoming rare. Although, it's making quite the comeback these days. This, if you don't already know, is a beautiful E-Type Jaguar, one of the most highly regarded cars of its era.
While you could later get a V12 version of this car, it was originally powered by a straight six. A good one, too. According to Road & Track, this car was fitted with "one of the greatest straight sixes ever built."
24 Porsche 911 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is one of Porsche's finest creations. And if anyone knows even a little bit about cars or about Porsche, they know that their signature feature is a straight six engine.
Porsche has had a few other kinds of engines over the years, but the straight six has been their primary engine since the very first Porsche was built.
And over the years they've really been able to advance it, and perfect it. The Porsche straight six, in any form is worth every one of your pennies. There's no doubt about that.
23 Volvo V60 Polestar
The Volvo V60 Polestar is hands down one of the coolest station wagons ever built. It's not really a station wagon more than it is a hatchback sports car, though. If I had to buy a brand new car, one that is completely practical, I'd buy this one, because it isn't just a practical, safe, family-friendly car; it's a beautiful, wonderfully performing, highly tuned, straight six wielding piece of machinery.
It has 362 horsepower, and it handles amazingly. It's great for so many different things, and that's why it's such a good straight six.
22 BMW E46 M3
BMW is one of the few car companies that still produces a straight six engine, and with Mercedes Benz bringing it back as well, the future of the inline six is bright (until taken over by electric). BMW is known for their high performance luxury sedans across the globe, and for good reason.
A great example of one of the best inline sixes that you can buy today is the E46 M3.
There are a number of variants to the M3 model, but the truly golden formula is found in the E46, which marries an incredible straight six to a truly legendary car.
21 Datsun 260Z
When it comes to talk about truly legendary cars, the 260Z cannot be ignored, although it often gets overlooked by some. It really shouldn't, because this little sports car, impeccably styled, has more than just some cool retro looks to give it value. This Datsun has got an incredible straight six inside its engine bay, and it's the kind of car worth buying, even if they're not the cheapest. The engine alone is reason to, not only because of the fact that it's a well built, retro two-door sports coupe.
It only puts out 170 horsepower, but power isn't the most important thing, especially with magical cars like this one.
20 Jaguar Mk2
Here's a true classic, an icon, an art piece, the kind of art that sings through its design and use, completely interactive. That's art, the kind you can get into and be immersed in, that you can touch and feel and activate, manipulate and understand and use for a purpose.
With a car like this you start to understand why people love cars so much.
One of the purest sources of joy this car can give you is the sound of its truly magnificent inline six, a legendary engine worth every single penny.
19 Maserati 3500 GTi
This is another icon from the golden era of the straight six. Made in 1962, this is the Maserati 35oo GTi, the sixth great inline six engine on our list. This is one incredible car, with a wonderful straight six soundtrack. Like Road & Track says, "the car looked incredible, and the engine certainly didn't disappoint, either."
We couldn't agree more, and I think it would be a difficult task to find anyone who disagrees with that statement.
18 Porsche 991
Porsche makes a vast array of wonderful sports cars, most based around their unique rear engine layout. But it's the layout that interests us a little bit less in this article, because it's the engines, and the cars attached to them, that we're focusing on. And this Porsche 991 has an incredible straight six engine huddled over those wide-stanced rear tires.
This little 4 liter inline 6 puts out an incredible 500 horsepower, which is phenomenal. The 991 is available in a number of body types, as well, so you can have this engine in a number of different, exceptional ways.
17 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG
While this Mercedes sedan from the mid-90's doesn't look like much of a car, not very remarkable at face value, the fact of the matter is that this C36 AMG Mercedes Benz is a pretty amazing little car. It's surprisingly rare, too, which makes it all that much more alluring.
If any gear head knows about this car, they know about it because of one thing: the engine underneath the hood.
This Mercedes Benz C36 AMG comes equipped with a truly stunning straight six underneath. It pumps out 276 horsepower, and the sound of it is truly sublime.
16 Skyline GT-R (R32)
There's a silly rule in America about importing cars. They have to be 20 years old before they can be imported properly, which has been a frustration for many tuner heads for, well, almost 20 years now. The kinds of cars that Japan was producing in the last 20 years or so, have been amazing, and not all of them have been available in America, until now.
This Skyline GT-R is really a legend of legends, and now you can import this car, and its sweet, sweet straight six. Road & Track recommends importing an R32.
15 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
Time for another dose of pure, undiluted, unadulterated, quintessential class. Plain and simple, refined and choice, this is the Mercedes Benz 300 SL. One of the finest cars ever made in all of motoring history. This is regarded by many as the first "supercar", although maybe by today's standards of "super", is a bit more extreme. This truly sublime looking car had the beef to back up the looks, too, with an incredible, and I mean truly incredible, inline six underneath that perfectly sculpted hood.
If there's any car to spend your pennies on, it's this one.
14 Toyota Supra
Let's switch gears a little bit, back to tuner heaven. And I'm talking about one of the holiest of holies, the tuner legend: the Toyota Supra. This is one of the best cars to come from the 90's, wildly successful first time around. Once tuners got a hold of this beautiful blank canvas, these cars have seen nigh endless new life because of it.
The straight six underneath this hood is a true beauty, too, with up to 320 horsepower at hand (before modifying).
This car is worth every penny, if you can find one...
13 Honda CBX
You might be a bit surprised to see a motorcycle on this list, but this article is about straight six engines worth your time, and that's not just limited to cars. It might seem a bit difficult to believe at first, but this magnificent Honda CBX is outfitted with an unbelievably cool straight six. If you look at the exhaust pipes, you can count easily how many cylinders it has. Six. All lined up, nice and neat. How cool is that?
The Honda CBX is worth every single penny for the engine alone, besides the fact that it's an awesome motorcycle in its own right.
12 BMW M1
The BMW M1 is a very special car. It's very special for a lot of reasons, and it's one of the most beloved BMWs ever made.
It's special because it was the first mass produced mid engined BMW, which makes it an instant classic.
It's beloved so because it has such a lovable heart and soul; that is, such a lovable engine. The pumping heart of this retro mid-engined BMW sports car is an incredible one, the kind of perfectly balanced inline six that you can't help but fall in love with.
11 TVR Sagaris
I remember when BBC Top Gear featured this car in one of their episodes. They were really excited to test it because they said it was made by the fairly new British car company company, TVR, that, unfortunately, no longer exists.
The company made some pretty spectacular cars before their demise, though and the TVR Sagaris was one of them. They look pretty edgy, in a way that for some mysterious reason works, but they're horrible to drive, difficult to control.
Though this car, unlike any other, and perhaps unrivaled, sounds truly incredible. The howling wail that this straight six emits is a testament to its worth.
10 Ford Falcon
This is a pretty unique little Ford. If you're from America you might not recognize this model, but that's because this particular Ford is actually from Australia, exclusively. What makes this little, quaintly retro Ford so special and valuable is the engine that it's hiding inside. The Ford Falcon (Australia) is mounted with a Barra straight six, one of the best straight sixes you can get your hands on.
They've been produced quite extensively, so it may not be hard to get your hands on one of these, but that in no way means that you're getting a less than spectacular straight six.
9 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
BMW, unlike many motoring companies, if not the vast majority, has never really strayed far from their straight six engine. Because of safety regulations and the demands that incurred upon manufacturers, the trend quickly switched to the highly common "V" layout we see in almost all modern cars. A shame, really, considering the inherent balance and efficiency of a straight six.
BMW has been perfecting their straight six for a long time, and according to allaboutdieselz.com, the one fitted into the BMW 1 Series M Coupe is "one of the best inline six motors in the world."
8 TVR Tuscan
We featured another TVR on this list, if you remember, back at number eleven. It's pretty easy to see, that this sports car, while looking radically different than the last, is still manufactured by the same, uniquely extinct, British car company. Something about the avant-garde, outlandish features makes it instantly recognizable. This car, and the others made by TVR, might have been just a little bit too niche, actually, which could be a factor in the demise of the company.
This Tuscan has the same engine as the Sagaris though, meaning it has that magnificent straight six with the most soul-stirring howl you'll ever hear.
7 BMW 323i
There's nothing like a classic BMW sports car to remind you of what driving is all about, and there aren't many better than the 323i. There are so many of these little gems from the golden era of BMW, the kind of cars that weren't just focused on luxury and the most power, but were focused on quality, design, drivability, and simple passion for what cars are and should be.
The BMW 323i is just such a car, fitted with an amazing inline six. It pushed out 168 horsepower, which was the perfect amount for this car.
6 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 (M97/74)
This is the last great straight six we're going to feature on this list, though there are many more. We thought that the last spot should go to another Porsche, especially this one, the 997 GT3 RS 4.0. While the entire car was built with pure performance in mind, it's the engine that really makes this Porsche shine.
The flat six in this Porsche, the M97/74, is a fabulous engine. Like totall911.com states: "This water-cooled wonder pushed the limits of the modern flat six."
They couldn't be more accurate in describing the sheer power and might of this Porsche engine.