For straight-out durability alone, over and above HP/ torque questions, probably nothing beats the old Plymouth-Dodge 3.7L ( 225 ci ) slant-six of the 60's-70's and the much newer 3.0 Toyota-Lexus 3.0L ( 183 ci ) in-line six. The old Slant-Six once powered a majority of the country's taxis, which tells you something about its durability.

 

no F20/22C motors ?

the 3S-GTE and 4A-GE motors werent too shabby either.

 

oh, and the VVT-i 1UZ from 98+ is on the list for '98 and '00

 

That was a great engine back in the day, but it's always funny to hear people argue over who really developed that engine. The Chevy guys always try to claim that it was GM's engineering, while all the anti-Chevy guys argue that it was Lotus' engineering. After my experience with owning GM vehicles, I'm much more willing to believe the Lotus arguement.

 

In any list of domestic “greatest” engines, I’ve got to agree with jibby and mmarshall, there are a number of home-grown motors I’d nominate to that list. The small block Chevy is the gold standard with incredibly complete aftermarket support. After all, FIFTY years of success has to be recognized.

After the Chevy, I’d place the small block Fords (260-280-351) and of course the big blocks, the 390-427. Ford/Shelby raced them to a 1-2-3 at Le Mans, putting even the vaunted Ferrari on the trailer with seeming ease. Holman-Moody pulled insane amounts of reliable power out of this engine as well.

Then there’s the Hemi, the Holy Grail of automotive legend. No matter what you put it in, it got better. All you have to do is put that HEMI logo on the car and it gains a second in the quarter mile. In the American south, Hemi is a religion.

Among the sixes, that MoPar Slant-6 was not just strong, but powerful and dead reliable. It replaced a similar flathead six that had a reputation of being bulletproof. Ford and Chevy had similar OHV sixes, but while they were reliable beasts, they were pretty pedestrian in their engineering.

One domestic engine that is constantly overlooked in any review of American power is the Corvair’s flat six. The first mass-produced domestic aluminum, air cooled engine, it faced a WORLD of practical challenges. Several unproven technologies converged in this powerplant, that would later accept turbocharging – and it was successful despite the old engineering maxim that you NEVER take two or more untried technologies to market in one product. The Corvair succumbed to bad press, not poor design, engineering, and manufacture. That was a shame.

If there was a hall of fame for four-cylinders, and the rules would accept a little geographical fudging, the Ford F105 engine has to be one of its first inductees. Produced from the early ‘50’s in Europe, and called the “English Ford” engine it has enjoyed an enviable record for adaptability in everything from cheap economy haulers to exotic Lotus racing machines. If memory serves, the earliest popular racing engines bore the “E” postscript, but they probably ran out of alphabet long before they ran out of potential.

The secret was a strong bottom end and endless adaptability. Initially called the “Kent” engine, and displacing less than one liter, delivery trucks got a slobbering low compression variant that came close to automotive immortality, while bored-out, twin cam heads and some SERIOUS compression improvements transformed the beast of burden into a beast on the track.

Generations of sports-racers, including Lotus 7’s, ran club races on several continents, while in a tiny 800lb Merlin, they dominated G and H modified classes here and in Europe for over a decade. Those little plastic bathtubs became a huge embarrassment to Cobras, Corvettes - even an occasional poorly-driven 427 Cobra II on a road course. The Cobra might win the straightaway drag, but a Merlin, thanks to light weight, with superior braking and handling would simply motor around it's big brother in the curves and drive away. See ya in a couple o’ laps, buddy

Its relatives sold in this country in the Ford Anglia - and later, distant cousins appeared in the 1.6 liter Pinto. Soon overshadowed by its larger domestic 2.0 liter second cousin, the engine returned to Europe to find variants in Opel, Volvo, and other marques that purchased the design from Ford. It’s still one of the most desirable – and available – engines for weekend racers. A twin cam Lotus head, a pair of big Weber carbs, and you're ready for the races.

 

2GR-FSE made it

well.. to the Ward's Top 10 of 2006

 

I vote for the 80s-early90s Toyota SR5 4 cyl. 22 RE engine... reliable as stink, many with >500k miles and some with over 1 million miles. About as bomb proof as they come.

Also agree with the Chevy 350... bomb proof with great aftermarket support, even in the boating world! If it's also in boats, it's gotta be reliable

Oops, I forgot to add for the Fast and the Furious crowd... the RB26DETT engine from the R34 Skyline fame.... Reliable build to 600+ HP, durable and race proven.

Cheers,

Max

 

RB26DETT (Skylihne)
2JZGTE (Supra)
SR20DET (Sylvia)
4G63 (Evo)
LS6 (Z06)

Would be my top candidates..