25 cars with an engine from a different manufacturer

Two become one

Car companies have been using engines from other makers since the dawn of the automobile.

Some are obvious and celebrated, others are more obscure or played down by the brand with its name in the title.

Necessity and engineering demands have often dictated which engines were supplied to what car manufacturer, and it’s resulted in some great cars – and a few that are lauded to a lesser extent.

Here’s a list of cars where the engine under the bonnet is different to the badge on the bonnet, arranged in alphabetical order.

1. AC Cobra

If all had gone to Carroll Shelby’s original plan, the AC Cobra would have been powered by a Chevrolet Corvette motor.

However, Chevrolet worried the Cobra would be too much of a rival for its sports car and declined.

Enter Ford with its 260cu in (4.3-litre) V8 for the very early Cobras. It was quick, offering 0-60mph in 5.6 secs.

Soon after, the larger 289cu in (4.7-litre) V8 version of Ford’s small-block motor was installed that slashed half a second from the car’s 0-60mph time.

When Shelby shoehorned in the 427cu in (7-litre) big-block Ford V8, the Cobra was the fastest-accelerating production car in the world at its launch in 1965.

2. Alpine A110

There can be few more giant-killing cars than the Alpine A110, which earned a huge reputation as a superb rally car. Yet power for this sports car came from the humble Renault 8 when the Alpine was launched in 1962.

In its least-powerful form, the A110 made do with just a 956cc engine, but most Alpines were sold with feistier Gordini-spec units, which meant anything up to 1.3 litres.

To offer yet more power, Alpine switched to Renault 12 and 16 engines, which delivered 0-60mph in a swift 7.1 secs and a 132mph top speed.

3. Audi S8

The 2005 Audi S8 was a perfect piece of cross pollination within the sprawling Volkswagen Group, bringing together two extremes of this empire.

Combining the luxury of the Audi A8 saloon with the V10 engine from the Lamborghini Gallardo was inspired.

The howling motor developed for Lamborghini’s junior supercar should have been at odds with the restrained appeal of the S8, but the two were an ideal match.

There were changes to the motor for the S8, which were then retro applied to the Gallardo. For the S8, power was dialled down to a ‘mere’ 444bhp, while capacity was increased to 5.2 litres and a balancer shaft added to improve refinement.

The end result was a cultured sports limousine capable of 0-60mph in 5 secs and a 155mph top speed, which was limited by an electronic cap.

4. Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300

With a name like Bizzarrini, this car could only come from Italy, yet under the Giugiaro-penned lines of the body sat a very un-Italian engine.

Giotto Bizzarrini may have designed the Ferrari 250GTO, but he chose the 5.3-litre V8 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette for the car that bore his own name.

The Corvette unit offered an easy, reliable motor, propelling the GT Strada to 165mph. It helped make the car appeal to 149 customers who bought it new.

Bizzarrini also marketed a similarly styled model called the 1900 Europa with an Opel-sourced 1.9-litre engine, but it was too pricey and flopped, with a mere 15 cars sold.

5. Bricklin SV-1

The Bricklin SV-1 is notable for many things, not least its gullwing doors, its focus on safety and as a business dead end.

However, it’s also unusual for using not one but two engines that were not from its own manufacturer.

The first motor used in the Bricklin was an underpowered 5.9-litre V8 from AMC, which was later replaced by a 5.7-litre Ford V8.

Either way, the SV-1 found few takers and production halted when 2897 had been built.

6. De Lorean DMC-12

The spec sheet of the De Lorean DMC-12 read like a perfect tick list for keen drivers, yet it was let down by its engine.

The PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine boasted a 2.8-litre capacity and was rear-mounted, like a Porsche 911’s.

It should have given the De Lorean excellent traction, but 130bhp was not nearly enough to cope with the DMC-12’s 1244kg (2742lb) weight. Nor was the handling up to much, even after Lotus had tried its hardest.

The best that could be said for the engine, bought in from Renault, was it could take the DMC-12 to 121mph and cover 0-60mph in 10.2 secs.

7. De Tomaso Vallelunga

Think De Tomaso and it’s the Pantera with its bought-in Detroit V8 from Ford that most will alight on.

However, the featherweight Vallelunga preferred a very different Ford motor in the form of the 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit from the Cortina.

It may not have been as exotic as the car’s exterior looks, but the Cortina’s 1.5-litre engine worked well with its Hewland transaxle in such a lightweight model.

8. Fiat Dino

Both the Fiat Dino Coupé and Spider models started out in life with a 2-litre V6 engine taken from Ferrari. 

For 1969, Fiat swapped to the 2.4-litre V6 as seen in the 246 Dino from Ferrari, which improved performance thanks to a boost in power.

The longer, heavier Coupé was always a little slower than the Spider, but both cars shared the same five-speed manual transmission.

9. Gumpert Apollo

It’s not unusual for a fledgling supercar company to buy in its engines, but Gumpert took a different route to most.

Influenced by company boss Roland Gumpert who previously worked for Audi Sport, the Apollo was powered by a 4.2-litre, twin-turbo V8 normally found in the Audi RS4.

For Gumpert’s mid-engined supercar, the unit was tuned to a much giddier 641bhp for the base model, while the S delivered 691bhp for 0-60mph in 3 secs and a 225mph top speed.

For those intent on owning an even faster Apollo, the R model came with 789bhp. It used the same six-speed sequential gearbox as the other cars, and Gumpert built 150 Apollos before production ended in 2012.

10. Intermeccanica Indra

Intermeccanica was one of several Italian car makers to pick US V8s for its sleek models.

However, German importer Erich Bitter convinced the company to make a European-powered model with Opel engines and the Indra was born.

Under the Indra’s long, low bonnet was a choice of 2.8-litre straight-six or 5.4-litre V8 engines from the Opel Admiral and Diplomat ranges.

The Indra was available in convertible, coupé and notchback styles, and it was even briefly offered for sale in the US.

However, production ended after 125 Indras were made, when Opel and parent company GM ceased engine supply.

11. Jensen-Healey

Healey was adept at doing deals to find engines for its sports cars and the Jensen-Healey was a great example of this. Healey designed the car and Jensen built it, while the engine came from Lotus.

The 1973cc slant-four was ideal for fitting under the Jensen-Healey's low bonnet, while its 16-valve head meant a 120mph top speed.

The same engine was used in the Jensen GT, a coupé version of the roadster that dropped the Healey name from its title.

By the time the GT arrived, the mechanical shortcomings of the Jensen-Healey had been solved, but sales of the GT floundered and only 473 were sold compared to 10,926 of the drop-top model.

12. Jensen 541

Like the original Interceptor from 1949, the Bristol 541 that eventually went on sale in 1955 used a 4-litre straight-six lifted from the Austin parts bin.

Where this motor delivered stately progress in Austin’s limo, triple carburettors and a higher compression ratio upped the ante for this handsome coupé.

A reworked version of the 541’s chassis was used to create the CV-8 with a 5.9-litre Chrysler V8 that started a long association between the British firm and eight-cylinder US power.

13. Lancia Stratos

Ferrari was not keen to supply its aluminium V6 engine to Lancia to begin with, because the Stratos was seen as a rival to the Dino 246.

However, when Dino production neared its end, Enzo Ferrari relented and the Stratos received the engine it had been designed for.

The 2.4-litre Dino V6 was a left-field choice for a car made to go rallying, but it proved a shrewd one when Lancia lifted two World Rally Championship titles with its mid-engined marvel.

While success in motorsport earned Lancia plenty of headlines, the roadgoing version proved difficult to sell, even though only 500 Stratos cars were built in total.

Some even sat in showrooms for up to five years before finding a willing buyer.

14. Lancia Thema 8.32

Fifteen years after the Stratos, Lancia once again borrowed an engine from Ferrari to create a quick, sleek, executive saloon to rival the BMW M5.

Ferrari’s name may have been on the engine, but it was built by Ducati, before Lancia fitted it into the Thema.

This 2.9-litre V8 also came with a 90-degree crankshaft rather than the Ferrari 308’s flat-plane crank, giving the Thema a very different engine note.

Sales of the Thema 8.32 were hampered by its huge cost and, perversely, its exotic engine.

Buyers were also keener on the much cheaper and almost as quick Thema Turbo that shared its engine with Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Saab.

15. Lincoln Continental MkVII

Lincoln’s Continental MkVII shared its Fox body platform with other Ford models of the period.

What the Continental had to itself, though, was the option of a 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine from BMW.

This unusual alliance came about because Ford reckoned it needed a diesel in its line-up to give buyers an economical option.

Buyers thought differently and only around 2000 were sold in the model’s brief two-year production life.

16. Lotus Elise

Ford, Austin, Coventry-Climax and even Isuzu had provided engines for various Lotus models, but it looked to Rover when designing the Elise.

As a lightweight roadster, the Elise needed an engine to match and the K-series with its aluminium cylinder head was ideal.

Even in its base form with 118bhp, the Elise was good for 0-60mph in 6.1 secs and 126mpg.

However, Lotus quickly adopted more potent versions, such as the VVC motor with variable valve timing and 143bhp.

By the time first-generation Lotus Elise production ended in 2001, you could have an engine with up to 190bhp to deliver supercar levels of pace.

The second-series Elise stuck with Rover engines, before swapping to a Toyota motor.

17. Morgan Plus 8

Morgan didn’t bother changing the looks of its roadster when it launched the new Plus 8 in 1968. Instead, it focused its attention on sliding Rover’s, and formerly Buick’s, aluminium V8 under the long bonnet.

At a stroke, Morgan had a rapid new model on its hands that could cover 0-60mph in 6.5 secs and topped out at 125mph.

There were two versions of the 3.5-litre and a 3.9-litre engine arrived in 1990, in which form the Plus 8 continued until 2004.

Morgan then rested the name until 2012, when it relaunched the Plus 8 with a 4.4-litre BMW V8.

18. Noble M12

Lee Noble’s cars always punched well above their weight in handling and performance, and he made great use of the Ford 2.5- and 3-litre V6 motors.

However, not content with the lusty power of these engines in standard tune, Noble fitted twin turbochargers to deliver anything from 310 to 425bhp – the most powerful M400 will reach 185mph flat out and accelerate from 0-60mph in only 3.5 secs.

When Noble looked to move further upmarket with its M600, the Ford engines gave way to a twin-turbo Volvo V8 with a 4.4-litre capacity and 650bhp.

19. Pagani Zonda

A V12 engine is almost a given for any top-flight hypercar and Horacio Pagani chose just such a motor from Mercedes-Benz for his fledgling Zonda.

The first Zondas made do with a 6-litre V12 from Mercedes. Not bad, especially in a car weighing only 1250kg (2756lb), but much more was to come from the engine and car.

The Zonda reached its peak with the C12/S model that used an AMG version of Mercedes’ V12 with a 7-litre capacity and 543bhp.

This would launch the Pagani from 0-60mph in 3.7 secs and head on to 197mph, accompanied by a sensational sound from the mid-mounted motor.

20. Porsche 924

The Porsche 924 ended up with an engine from a different manufacturer by default.

It was originally conceived as a sports car for Volkswagen, but when VW changed its mind, Porsche simply opted to put the car into production under its own name.

The 2-litre, four-cylinder engine was from the Audi 100 saloon, and the gearbox was also taken from Audi but moved to the back to create a transaxle for the rear-drive Porsche.

This engine was also used in the Volkswagen LT van, which led to some sneering that Porsche had used a van’s engine in its new entry-level sports car.

However, the 924 had the last laugh, because it went on to sell almost 135,000 units.

21. Rover SD1 2400

With no suitable diesel engine of its own, Rover looked to Italian firm BM Motori to provide a 2.4-litre turbodiesel for the SD1.

This was part of a widening of the SD1 range for 1982, as the company sought to attract more company-car drivers.

That it gave a 0-60mph time of 14.6 secs didn’t impress anyone and the 2400 SD Turbo remained a marginal seller.

The same VM engine was also used in the contemporary Range Rover, as well as the Alfa Romeo Alfetta, 75 and 90 models.

22. Sunbeam Tiger

Carroll Shelby used the same thinking that led to the Cobra and applied it to the Sunbeam Alpine.

By sticking a 4.2-litre Ford V8 into the pretty British sports car, he created the Tiger and it went down very well in the US.

However, when Chrysler took a controlling stake in Rootes, Sunbeam’s parent company, the game was up.

Chrysler’s own V8 wouldn’t fit in the Alpine shell, so the Tiger was canned.

23. Vanden Plas 4-Litre R

Rolls-Royce is not noted for sharing its components with others, but it was willing to provide its 3.9-litre straight-six motor to BMC for the Vanden Plas 4-Litre R.

The all-alloy engine gave 174bhp, which was a big step up from the previous 3-Litre model’s 119bhp peak.

Acceleration in the R was much improved, but top speed was much the same. However, the R was also more refined, which appealed to those considering this luxurious four-door saloon.

A Bentley-badged version of the 4-Litre R codenamed Java was considered by Rolls-Royce, but the idea was abandoned. 

24. Vauxhall/Opel Omega

When Vauxhall, and Opel in Europe, introduced the Omega in 1994, it ditched its own ageing four-cylinder diesel engines in favour of something more in line with its executive aspirations.

This came in the shape of a six-cylinder 2.5-litre turbodiesel bought in from BMW.

This was the same M51 diesel as found in the 3 and 5 Series ranges, but Vauxhall/Opel gave it a new code number of U25DT. Regardless of this, it was well suited to the Omega.

This engine was later updated to BMW’s M57 diesel, which was still a 2.5-litre unit, but with more performance.

25. Volvo 850

The Volvo 850 was a radical change for its maker, and this included a range of five-cylinder engines.

However, with no diesel of its own with this number of cylinders, Volvo looked to the Volkswagen Group and Audi’s 2.5-litre ‘five’.

Contemporary road tests reckoned the engine was not quite as refined in the Volvo as in the Audi, but 0-60mph in 9.9 secs was not to be sniffed at in the 850 – the Volvo could also return a claimed average fuel economy of up to 43mpg.

The same engine was carried over into the first and second generations of V70, before Volvo finally introduced its own D5 five-cylinder turbodiesel motor in 2002.