Historically, going faster simply meant sticking a bigger engine under the hood of the car, but ever since the first 200 mph supercars of the 1980s, engines have gotten smaller and more powerful.
Updated September 2021: If you're looking for the most powerful engines ever fitted to production cars, you've come to the right place. We've updated this article with additional cars and more info regarding the cars that were already on the list.
Forced induction is the secret, either through turbocharging or supercharging, they work equally well and each have their merits, but both have the same objective in mind — more power. Both methods use the same basic principle, forcing more air and fuel into the cylinders results in a bigger bang, unleashing more power. Here lays the beauty of forced induction, provided the engine block is strong enough, a simple increase in boost pressure produces even more power.
It is not surprising that power outputs increase all the time, so we've covered the most powerful engines ranging from 3 cylinders all the way up to W16 engines as we check out the most powerful engines installed in production cars.
10 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport: 1578 Hp W16 Engine
The Chiron, like its predecessor, packs one of the most unique production engines ever produced, the spec list includes some awesome numbers. With a displacement of 8 liters composed of 16-cylinders in a "W" layout, four turbochargers boosting output to 1578 hp resulted in the most powerful mass-produced engines to date.
Officially recognized as the fastest production car in the world, the Bugatti Chiron Supersport 300 set a new record in August 2019 with a maximum speed of 304.77 mph, the first production car in history to cross the 300 mph barrier.
9 Lamborghini Essenza SCV12: 818 Hp V12 Engine
Lamborghini has a long history of V12 powered supercars, the newest Essenza the latest in a line of special edition models takes performance to another level. In what is likely to be the last V12 powered Lamborghini ever, engineers created the ultimate GT racing car. With a limited production of 40 cars, the SCV12 will be a rare sight.
The Essenza is the most powerful Lamborghini road car ever produced and uses the same V12 6.5-liter engine found in the SVJ. Developing the SCV12 for track use Lamborghini engineers rotated the engine for better weight distribution, adding ram-air intakes to boost output to 818hp.
8 Dodge Viper ACR: 645 Hp V10 Engine
In 1992 Dodge launched the greatest muscle car in decades, the Viper signified a return to big-block high-performance sports cars. The development of Chrysler's LA V8 engine to include an additional 2-cylinders resulted in the Viper's most unique feature, an 8-liter V10 engine.
The ultimate Viper launched in 2017, the ACR powered by a larger 8.4-liter engine, has 645hp and remains the most powerful production V10 to date
7 SSC Tuatara: 1750 Hp V8 Engine
At the moment, Shelby Sports Cars' Tuatara has one hand on the fastest production car trophy, the subtleties of the timing equipment remain under scrutiny. All things being said and done, any production car that can record a speed of 331mph is an impressive achievement.
The engineering necessary to power the world's fastest car is incredible, the Tuatara uses a 1750hp, 5.9-liter turbocharged engine sending its power to the rear wheels via a transmission normally found in a helicopter.
6 Zenvo TSR-S: 1176 Hp V8 Engine
Danish supercar maker Zenvo has been around since 2009, in this short amount of time, the company has created one of the most extreme road cars that money can buy. Externally, the TSR-R appears like any other supercar, only showing off its bonkers rear wing activates once the owners hit the road.
Unlike other supercar manufacturers Zenvo develops their own engines, the TSR-S uses a racing-derived twin-supercharged 5.8-liter V8 to produce 1176hp, despite its origins, the car is fully road legal.
5 Koenigsegg Agera RS: 1341 Hp V8 Engine
Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg originally released the Agera in 2011, at the time one of the fastest cars ever with a claimed top speed of 249mph. For most gearheads, this would have been plenty fast enough, only fractionally behind the Veyron's claims. However, the development didn't stop there, Koenigsegg produced even faster models, with the latest Agera RS setting an average speed of 276mph on public roads.
Billed as the ultimate track tool, the Agera RS comes as standard with a 1160 hp from a Ford-sourced 5-liter turbocharged V8 engine running on pump gas. Optional upgrades include the purposefully titled 1-megawatt package, boosting output to 1341hp.
4 Nismo GT-R: 600 Hp V6 Engine
From a standing start, it is hard to beat the formidable Nissan GT-R the combination of power and clever electronically controlled all-wheel-drive makes a potent package. It is hard to believe the Japanese supercar has been in production since 2007, evolutionary changes have kept the GT-R competitive.
The Nismo-tuned versions are not cheap, with prices starting at $200,000, but for the kind of cash usually associated with exotic supercars, gearheads get one of the most powerful engines ever fitted to a road car. Under the hood, a hand-built twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 engine produces 600hp and takes only 2.9 seconds to get to 62mph.
3 Audi RS3: 400 Hp 5-Cylinder Engine
Only the most dedicated gearheads will be able to distinguish the Audi RS3 from the lesser models in the range, minor badging on the grille being the only give-away. Externally, just another four-door Audi sedan, on this occasion one that can match all but the fastest supercars to 62mph requiring only 3.5 seconds.
If the RS3 surprises with its supercar performance, then under the hood gearheads are in for another surprise. Audi is one of the few carmakers to use 5-cylinder engines, the RS3 uses a turbocharged 2.5-liter unit to produce 400hp.
2 AMG A45S: 416 Hp 4-Cylinder Engine
In-house tuners AMG takes the best Mercedes road cars and makes them a lot better, refining the suspension, braking and, engines to deliver performance levels normally expected from proper sports cars. No surprise then that the AMG A45S builds on the already rapid A35, adding more power into the mix.
The A45S uses the same 2-liter turbocharged engine of the earlier A35, rotated in the chassis by 180 degrees allowing for an improved intake system, the resulting 416hp output is nothing short of breathtaking.
1 Koenigsegg Gemera: 1700 Hp 3-Cylinder Engine
The Koenigsegg Gemera is a limited production four-seater, plug-in hybrid, grand tourer. Unlike the Swedish carmaker's previous V8-powered models, the Gemera is powered by a twin-turbocharged, three-cylinder, 2,0-liter camless engine named the Tiny Friendly Giant, and 3 electric motors. The 600 hp engine drives the front wheels, two electric motors drive the rear wheels, rated at 500 hp and 1000 Nm each, and there's one E-motor on the crankshaft, producing 400 hp to power the front wheels alongside the ICE.
The combined power output is 1,700 hp and 2,581 lb-ft of torque when running on E85 fuel. In place of traditional camshafts, the engine has a system of solenoids to activate the intake and exhaust valves. According to Koenigsegg, the engine weighs in at a mere 150 lbs. When only using battery-power, the Gemera has a range of 31 miles, and in hybrid mode the range is 621 miles. The ICE unit is capable of running on both E85 biofuel and gasoline and exhaust gases expelled through an Akrapovič titanium exhaust system.