Being in America, you'll notice that the muscle car community is still very much alive and well. There, you will see thousands of huge, high-liter V8's under the hood of any of these cars. However, as fun and manly as it may be to have a V8, they're not the best-of-the-best ALL the time.
Sure, there are many outstanding V8-powered cars (the Ferrari 458 Italia's and Dodge Challenger Demon's come to mind). Nevertheless, more cylinders won't necessarily mean a higher grade of performance, as evidenced by the many six-cylinder motors (and below) that far exceed the average V8.
To bolster our point, we've gathered up a few of the world's greatest six-cylinder engines that'll put a V8 to shame.
10 Alfa Romeo Busso V6
As much as we love to make fun of Alfa Romeo for their past failures (i.e. reliability, performance, etc.), we'll give credit where it's due. In regards to Alfa, they deserve recognition for making Italy's best V6: the 'Busso' V6!
Although the cars it inhabited weren't always the prettiest, the Busso V6 inside made up for any visual shortcomings. We love a fast engine, but it's even better when it sounds great, too. Thankfully, the Busso V6 is one such engine.
9 Jaguar AJ126
It's a rare occurrence that a smaller, less expensive version of a car model will far exceed its superior counterpart. Still, that's exactly what happened with Jaguar and their V6 F-Type sports car.
When reviewing the V6 F-Type, Jeremy Clarkson (then of the BBC's Top Gear) was blown away by the V6's quality. Not only was it fast as heck, but the crackling and popping was absolutely perfect! Not too aggressive (like the V8), but just right.
8 TVR Sagaris’ ‘Speed Six’
For us American car enthusiast, the name 'TVR' may be a new one. That's because, among many reasons, TVR's are illegal in the States. Far too frequently, the U.S.A. gets scrubbed from having some of the coolest vehicles.
Our favorite TVR is the Sagaris: a front-engine British sports car that looks out of this world! The engine it has is known as the 'Speed Six' - A six-cylinder N/A engine which can also be found in pervious TVR models. Excluding reliability problems, the Speed Six is all speed and sound!
7 Buick LD5
Oh, don't worry, we didn't forget about American manufacturers. In fact, there's one that'll never cease to amaze us! None other than the McLaren X Buick tuned LD5; commonly found in the Grand National GNX.
If you were to tell us a turbocharged American V6 would out perform almost everything in its price bracket, we'd of thought you were insane. Now, though, we know better. The LD5 is a very competent engine with a lot of benefits, as well as some downsides, too (immense turbo-lag).
6 Mercedes-Benz M198
For far too long, people have observed a things exterior beauty to the exclusion of its inner one. This can be said for objects just as much as people. For us car enthusiasts, a good example of this would be the Mercedes-Benz 300SL.
Yes, the 300SL is one of the best looking cars to ever come out of Europe, perhaps the world. However, there's as much beauty beneath the hood as there is above.
Inside the 300SL is the Mercedes-Benz M198 six-cylinder engine. Using the M198 (as well as minor variants), Mercedes was able to get the 300SL on the top-step of tons of races; earning it a place in the history books alongside the likes of the McLaren F1, Ferrari 250 GTO, and so on.
5 Nissan VR38DETT
To be given the nickname "Godzilla" requires much more than just a Japanese origin or cool looks. It needs to be as aggressive and frightening on the inside as it is on the outside. And that, folks, is exactly what the R35 Nissan GT-R is.
With its twin-turbocharged V6 (yes, "V," not inline), the R35 GT-R shocked the world with its capabilities. At release, the R35 swept away other supercars/hypercars like it was no trouble.
All of that is thanks to the R35's over-engineered power unit, the VR38DETT. It's truly the ideal combination between '90s JDM engine setups and modern technology.
4 Porsche 911 GT3 RS’ Mezger Flat-Six
When Ferdinand Porsche came up with the idea of putting a small flat-six engine into the rear of his Porsche 911, many were skeptical (to say the least). Nonetheless, after years of trial-and-error and ingenious innovations, he proved them wrong!
Of Porsche's creations, the flat-six that stands out to us is the 'Mezger' GT3 RS series. The 911 GT3 RS' are the fastest of Porsche's lineup (excluding limited run hypercar models), so you know it's fast!
Depending on the day, track, or conditions, its not too out of the ordinary to see a Porsche overtake a Ferrari or Aston Martin.
3 BMW S54
BMW is a car company that prides themselves on their engineering prowess. After all, they are a German automotive manufacturer. Among the litany of power units BMW has produced, their best road-going one (to us) is the E46 M3's.
Classified as "S54", the M3's engine is a 3.25-liter inline-six with a stock output of ~338-hp. That's all well and good, but the S54's true greatness comes from more than just speed. For example its build quality, modifiability, and engine note - The cherries on top of an already wonderful power-unit.
2 Nissan RB26DETT
Before there was a VB38DETT or an R35 Nissan GT-R, there was a less modern alternative that ruled over the broader JDM lineup. That engine, as fate would have it, was ALSO a Nissan engine: the RB26DETT.
As the name would suggest, the RB26 is the precursor to the current-day Nissan GT-R's engine. This was found in all types of GT-R models: including the R32, R33, and R34 bodies.
The first iteration had some oil malfunctions, but every one after that was air-tight! Before long, it would be the only other JDM engine that could compete with our next (and final) entry...
1 Toyota 2JZ-GTE
You knew this engine would be here at some point, and where better than at the top step of the proverbial podium. Dear reader, we present to you the greatest six-cylinder engine ever produced: the Toyota Supra Mark IV's 2JZ-GTE.
It's no secret that the 2JZ engines are beloved in the tuner community. Just about any car that can be modified has probably had a 2J swapped into it at some point. And heck, who wouldn't?! With a real 2JZ-GTE, the potential is unlimited; going as far as 1,000-hp +.