9 glorious engine bays

9 purty powerplants that’ll have you rushing for the bonnet latches.

1. Dodge Viper

The Viper’s 8.4-litre V10 might be an archaic brute, but it’s still a thing worth marvelling at. The spaceframe it’s cradled in and clam-shell hood makes peeking at it from any angle easier, too. Such a view will be missed when the Viper ends this year.

2. Bentley Mulsanne

Tracing its roots to the ’57 Bentley S2, the Mulsanne’s 6.75-litre’s V8 now uses variable cam timing and serious turbos. Bentley uses air-to-water intercoolers to frame its alluring intake manifold and giving us one gorgeous bay.

3. Lambo Aventador

The Aventador’s 6.5-litre V12 broods, and not only with 515kW/690Nm. That cross-brace makes it look like a caged lunatic, while those Ohlins dampers are an F1 touch. The engine’s offset is a bit weird, but actually counter balances the propshaft.

4. F12 Berlinetta

Cramming 12 cylinders with enough air to make 545kW at 8250rpm requires manifolds. Big ones. The F12’s 6.3-litre showcases them in signature crinkle red, fed by a carbon fibre intake system that makes the XR6 Sprint’s look puny.

5. Pagani Huayra

Easily ogled once the Huayra’s rear clam-shell’s lifted, the twin-turbo V12’s gold heatsinks first catch your eyes. But it’s the carbon fibre, suspension work, and titanium exhaust around the engine that make this bay worthy of display in an art museum.

6. AM V12 Vantage S

Fitting a 6.0-litre V12 anywhere would be difficult. So it’s no wonder Aston Martin’s AM28 almost spills out of the Vantage’s tight engine room. It looks menacing, though, and should with 421kW and 620Nm pushing only 1668kg.

7. Audi RS3

Enjoy the RS3’s turbo 2.5-litre inline five while you can. It’s not going anywhere, but the next-gen engine covers the gleaming red cylinder heads. The switch to a dual injection system added hardware Audi deemed too ugly for your eyes.

8. Cayenne Turbo S

Porsche didn’t shy away from showcasing its thunderous 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 in the top-shelf Cayenne. The engine’s thinly veiled intake manifold and cylinder heads will be remembered when a new, covered up, hot-vee 4.0-litre V8 replaces it.

9. Nissan GT-R Nismo

What the GT-R lacks in cylinders it makes up for in presentation. From the beautiful crankcase, intake runners, and charge-air pipes, it’s all on show. The Nismo variant’s composite carbon-fibre radiator support adds a cool touch over a regular GT-R.