While you might not think about it much in your daily driver, that weekend cruising machine you have lovingly stored in your garage certainly is in front of your mind. What’s one of the most significant aspects of a great weekend toy, a serious sports car or a massive pickup truck? The engine is what we think of and discuss most often. This is where the power comes from and where we get all the force we enjoy on the road. It’s also one of the most talked about parts of any vehicle, but even the massive 8.4-liter V10 engine of the Dodge Viper pales in comparison to some of these engines.

Cummins QSK V16 – Here is an engine that’s large enough to pull a train, and has been used to do so. This beast is a massive diesel engine with a 95,000cc displacement in a V16 layout that uses a quad-turbo setup. This massive monster puts out nearly 4,000 horsepower and over 11,000 lb.-ft. of torque to be an engine that does pull a train down the track.

GMC V6 “Big Block” – Not quite as large as the first one, this big beast has a 7,800cc displacement and uses regular gasoline in a V6 layout. This engine produces 254 horsepower and is able to give you 442 lb.-ft. of torque. This has been a large V6 engine used in many of the production models that have come from GMC over the years to be a great way for us to power our pickup trucks.

Ford Flathead V8 – From 1932 until 1953 this engine was one of the most admired on the road for the raw power (at the time) and performance you could have with this engine. The displacement was 5,500cc and the power was 154 horsepower with 275 lb.-ft. of torque. While this pales in comparison to many models of today, this was before fuel injection and turbocharging and was simply the power of the machine.

Cadillac V16 – Here’s an engine that was used in the 1930’s which was the time when the Great Depression was at its peak. This was one of the first V16 engines ever mass produced and was a smooth running model that put out 170 horsepower and 320 lb.-ft. of torque from a displacement of 7,410cc. This engine was perfect for the times and was a joy to listen to when driving down the road.

Judd GV4 & GV5 V10 – A more recent production, this is an engine that’s been trusted for racing for many years. This engine with its 3,997cc of displacement offers 710 horsepower and 375 lb.-ft. of torque while weighing in at only 297 pounds to keep the engine light. This engine was a favorite for F1 and LMP cars to race on the track and the lightweight build and impressive power made a huge difference for this to be a great engine to choose.

Cosworth DFV – This V8 engine showed off with a 2,997cc displacement and 510 horsepower to go along with 272 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine was used from 1968 until 1982 and was rooted in the need for Lotus to have an engine which was developed at the suggestion of Ford. The DFV means “double four-valve” which was the setup for this engine that was perfect for racing.

Leyland L60 – Now we see another massive engine that has a displacement of 19,000cc and uses a two-stoke diesel fuel. This engine also uses a supercharger and is able to produce 750 horsepower and is used for a battle tank in Britain. This engine was originally considered unreliable, but once it was discovered you could use multiple fuels for it this engine was made more reliable and has been used for these battle tanks for many years.

Sachs KM48 – Here is a tiny engine with a single rotor that’s only 160cc in displacement while offering only ten horsepower with a weight of 22 pounds. This engine is actually one of the first versions of the Wankel rotary engine that was ever built and it was used for light aircraft because of its small size. This engine is also one that was great for garage builds of go carts if you could get your hands on one of them.