5 Greatest Inline

These amazing six-cylinder engines helped make several performance cars into the icons they are today.

We have seen many advancements and variations in engine design and technology over the years. As time went on, we started making engines for a specific purpose or a certain type of car rather than just to power it. For example, engines with 4 or fewer cylinders made for excellent fuel efficiency and were popular among economy cars. An 8-cylinder engine or bigger would be best suited to a muscle car or a performance car. But we gradually started adapting 6-cylinder engines that would provide access to both needs up to some extent. They have become a popular choice thanks to modern technology.

But what about the two categories themselves? Both V6, Inline-6, and even flat-six engines offer similar power and volume figures on paper, but that's where the similarities end. They differ wildly in terms of space taken in the engine bay, center of gravity, inertia while cornering, vibration, ease of tuning, and so on. But we can't deny that both types have served expertly as the beating heart of some of the best cars in history.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," said the executives at Jaguar when they made this engine, probably. The XK engine from Jaguar proved to be so good and versatile that it ended up powering a lot more cars than we'd normally expect. It makes sense that Jaguar would use it for the legendary E-Type.

Not just cars, a modified version of a 4.2-liter XK ended up powering a freaking military tank as well. The XK started out in 1948, and it evolved and powered cars for 44 years through 1992. Think about any iconic Jag from those years, the XK120, C-type and D-type Le Mans racers, or the XJ sedan – they all had an XK Inline-6 underneath their hoods.

Alfa Romeo scored big time when their engineer, Giuseppe Busso, created this beauty in '79. Call it tragically poetic, but the man himself passed away shortly after the demise of the engine in 2005 when the 166 and GT coupe used it for the final time in their Arese plant.

Talking about the engine itself, apart from being amazing and reliable, it is possibly one of the best-sounding V6 engines of all time. It not only powered several cars like the GTV6, Brera, 155, and the 147 GTA, but it also elevated their value in the market to some degree.

Related: The Rich History Of The Alfa Romeo Busso V6 Engine

When Dodge used a 5.9-liter Cummins BT diesel engine for their RAM trucks in 1989, the world saw what an amazing piece of machinery it was. Others slowly started recognizing it as a good alternative to gasoline V8s for full-size pickup trucks since these would provide high torque at low rpm along with good fuel efficiency.

The 6BT allowed the Dodge Ram to be one of the few trucks that didn't have to rely on a glow plug in cold weather. It was also massive, sometimes crossing the 1,000-lb mark. But that meant it was very reliable, and could easily deliver up to 1,000 lb-ft of torque even stock. Modified versions have made figures of 2,500 lb-ft achievable. It was simply a beast of an engine.

There are a lot of things that make the Nissan GT-R R35 one of the best supercars in recent history. One of them is its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, the VR38DETT. The 2021 rendition of the GT-R makes 565 hp and 467 lb-ft of torque. But there's more to it than just power figures and supercar engine-bay residence.

Unlike most engines, Nissan made sure to keep the true bond between an engine and its builder alive. Each VR38DETT is hand-built by a single craftsman, giving each engine a little something of its own identity even if it's to a minute level. Also, they made a special 'clean room' at the Yokohama engine plant where only a handful of master craftsmen are allowed to go to make these engines.

Related: It’s Back! 2023 Will See The Return Of The Nissan GT-R

This one is for the Aussies out there. The Barra is something of a legend over at the Lucky Country. It's a simple and tuner-friendly engine that's also durable and can pack quite a punch. The 2002 Ford Falcon in Australia started selling with one of these engines, and it turned out to be a step up over other Inline-6s from Ford.

The Barra started out with about 244 hp stock, and by 2016, the Ford Falcon's final year of production came with a 436 hp Barra inline-6 under the hood. But the Barra is more famous for being very tuner friendly and an easy choice for swaps. It's reliable, versatile, and can handle up to 2,000 hp. What's not to like?!

Related: 800 HP Barra-Engined BMW E46 Cuts Up The Drift Circuit

The 1991 NSX was the first Honda with a VTEC engine sold in the US of A. We know how good the NSX is, and the engine certainly deserves its fair share of the credit. The 3.0-liter V6 DOHC with an all-aluminum frame (also the first manufacturing car with that) still holds up today.

The engine produced 252 hp with automatic and 270 hp with the 5-speed manual. It's good enough to make 210 lb-ft of torque at 5300 rpm, but the redline is way over at around 8,300 rpm if it's with the stick. Perhaps that's why it makes the sound resembling an F1 car.

Related: Honda's VTEC System Explained

If you are a fan of either the R32, R33, or the R34 Skyline, you've got the RB26 to thank. The engine came to life when the Japanese Gentleman’s Agreement was in action. That meant it would only make 276 hp at the very most. The RB26 adhered to this rule, on paper at least.

Nissan knew they wanted to breathe new life into the Skyline series after the R31 (which also had a previous version of the RB engine), so they made an engine so capable of handling performance upgrades, it became a legend in the industry. Also, let's not forget that it's THE engine that earned the R32 Skyline the nickname Godzilla.

Related: 10 Reasons Why Gearheads Love The Nissan Skyline GT-R

One can very much argue that this engine should be at the top of the list. The PRV is the result of three manufacturers, Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo, who came together to make an engine for the Volvo 264 saloon and Peugeot 504 Coupe (built by Pininfarina) in 1974.

The most popular car to equip the engine would be the DeLorean DMC-12. This 2.7-liter V6 would then end up powering a slew of cars from Volvo, Venturi, Alpine, Dodge, and even a Citroën. Lasting till 1998, the PRV V6 nearly hit the million units production mark during its 24-year lifespan.

We can just leave this entire subheading blank, and you'd probably agree just by reading the name of the engine. Even people who don't know much about it will understand once they know that it powered the iconic Toyota Supra A80.

Toyota first made the 2JZ to be used in the Lexus GS300 in 1991. Then a bulletproof 3.0-liter naturally aspirated engine would empower the Lexus SC300 and IS300. But finally, we would see the twin-turbo 2JZ-GTE in that orange 10-second car in The Fast And The Furious, and the world would fall in love with it.

Ferrari supercars are popular around the world for their screaming V8 and V12 engines, but they knew how to build an amazing engine with half the cylinder count as well. Enzo Ferrari's late son, Alfredo 'Dino' Ferrari proposed a V6 to his father for the 1956 Formula 2 racing season.

Dino would sadly pass away before the engine came to life, so Ferrari gave it his name to honor the man. This V6 would end up in Formula One and Two races and would be the beating heart of the rally monster that is the Lancia Stratos. The Dino V6 would remain in production for about 40 years and would come to an end in 2004.

Ramya is an Engineering graduate with a lifelong love of automobiles. Digs all types of cars but has a special place in his heart for lightweight two-seater sports cars.