By Robert Emslie
According to the Bard, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of course it’s most likely that Shakespeare made that claim because he didn’t meet Elizabethan era standards for attractiveness. I mean, I’ve seen the block prints.
Aside from his questionable aesthetic attributes, Shakespeare had other issues of note, one of which is that he never wrote anything about cool cars or their engines. Now an automobile’s engine should first and foremost champion form over function, but that doesn’t mean they can’t look good corralling all those ponies, after all, beauty doth of itself persuade.
Because of this need for both power and presentation, a number of engine bays have become glorious playgrounds of aesthetic expression. The question for today is, when you pop that hood, aesthetically speaking, what would you most like to find waiting?
Image source: Camaro5
Kamil Kaluski 
Jeff Glucker
<img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/cars/1/0/_/v/08_c63amg_engine.jpg" width=500 /img>
I mean, it's one of the few that immediately comes to mind that isn't hidden behind a square metre of plastic.
Hooniverse Asks- What is the best looking piece of plastic covering what we care most about?
/Fixeditforya
I like the new Ford Coyote 5.0. While it does have some plastic cladding, the real intake manifold runners are proudly displayed at the top of the engine. Kinda reminds me of a Porsche 928 V8.
<img src="http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/attachments/2005-2009-mustang-talk/86619d1262019072-new-coyote-5-0-photo-5.0.jpeg" width=650>
My answer too… Camilo Pardo worked on that cover.
Roush has take-offs for $80. I thought about getting one to mock up a nice display in the living room.
The Coyote is my vote too, although I specifically like the Boss version of the engine (without the covers). The intake manifold reminds me of the old 60's high rise intakes 🙂
<img src="http://image.hotrod.com/f/techarticles/engine/hrdp_1205_new_boss_302_intake_test/37306567+w640/hrdp_1205_000_the_new_boss_302_intake_.jpg" width="600">
How could anyone possibly know? Just about every engine these days is obscured by stupid plastic cladding.
The new 6 inline from the BMW K1600 GT looks kind of sexy. (should not be covered in fairings)
<img src="http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201007/bmw-k-1600-gt-and-bm-2_1600x0w.jpg" width="600">
Yes, yes, yes!
OK, I'm biased. but you should still hear one through a full Remus system with the baffles out.
The Horex VR6 is very disappointed by your choice.
<img src="http://www.motorradonline.de/sixcms/media.php/11/thumbnails/Horex-VR6_3078.jpg.2220537.jpg" height="512">
Horex? weren't they dead since th sixties?
Yes, they were, but the name is back on an all new bike.
This is really difficult. Most engine bays can't actually be seen but there's good reason for that – so many accessory parts go around a modern engine it'd be just a cluttered mess. Still better than '70s vacuum hose nightmare though. So … R8 V10 perhaps?
<img src="http://downloads.xdesktopwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2010-Audi-R8-Gt-V10-Engine.jpg" width="600">
I also can appreciate the old school looks of the aircooled CB1100
<img src="http://www.iamabiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2013-honda-cb1100-06.jpg" width="600">
<img src="http://media.emercedesbenz.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/amg_05.jpg" width="600">
I'll take the AMG mill in the Pagani Huayra please.
Big linkie: <a href="http://i.imgur.com/Qq73X8P.jpg” target=”_blank”>http://i.imgur.com/Qq73X8P.jpg
Oh I forgot this one the Hartley H1 of the Atom 500, trumpets FTW
<img src="http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/172/91a85fa42e5b48f1ae3b042db0c5e383.jpg" width="600">
I'm going to go with some low hanging fruit and pick the 8-litre W16 with four (4!!) turbochargers.
<img width=500 src="http://imagesci.com/img/2013/04/bugatti-veyron-164-engine-5122-hd-wallpapers.jpg">
Image from imagesci.com.
The Maserati GranTurismo might have a ton of wires scattered about, but it's still highlighting the beating heart.
<img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/07/lead5-2013-maserati-granturismo-sport-fd.jpg">
looks like an ls1
I have to go sti for the simple fact that you can actually almost see it.
<img src="http://image.motortrend.com/f/roadtests/sedans/1302_2013_subaru_impreza_wrx_special_edition_first_test/46642734/2013-Subaru-Impreza-WRX-Special-Edition-engine.jpg" width="500/">
Came here to post WRX as the everyman-attainable answer (yes, I drive one and am therefore biased…but I immediately loved it when I first saw it and popped the hood to see no pointless plastic cladding), leaving happy. Not to be too nitpicky, by the way, but that looks like a WRX engine bay rather than STi; the STi is, admittedly, probably prettier thanks to a crackle-red-finish metal intake manifold, rather than the black plastic.
Define modern first.
After WWII.
In that case,
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/1962_Ford_Falcon_2-door_wagon_170_six_engine-1.JPG/707px-1962_Ford_Falcon_2-door_wagon_170_six_engine-1.JPG">
I'm going to go off the beaten path and say the BRP/Rotax
turbosupercharged triple.<img src="http://www.boattest.com/images-gallery/photos/sea-doo_210sp_RotaxEngines.jpg">
the w16. duh.
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wl8ri8nWXzU/UacDsrvZMYI/AAAAAAAAz_w/lSG80jt3GLk/s640/W16+engine-.jpg">
I dunno, I'd have to give the edge to Russell Sutton's Honda RFVC radial, even if it is going in an airboat.
<img src="http://thekneeslider.com/images/2010/04/xr600-radial-gears.jpg">
I like the 2013 GT500's 5.8. Minimal clutter or covers, great looking valve covers, and a pretty roots blower, uncovered for the world to see. I wish the intake didn't obscure so much of the engine, but that's a small complaint and one that's easily fixed with an aftermarket carbon fiber intake.
<img src="http://mustangsdaily.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2013-shelby-gt500-engine.jpg" width="600">
Under hood aesthetic expression usually comes from a tuner, not the manufacturer. That being said, here is a really nice Prelude bay that happens to be not quite finished yet – the artist is known on forums as 4ws Ryan.
<img src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f121/blahblah3113/20130617_173410_zps43492d38.jpg" width="600">
(What did you expect from me, some sort of V8?)
For the current run of cars, I kinda dig the Ferrari 599 engine bay. It has minimal plastic cladding, and what there is of that is mostly there for air directing purposes.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/YTGcDWd.jpg">
Is that a trick question….
If not
<img src="http://www.allbestwallpapers.com/wallpaper/ferrari/image/ferrari_f430_engine.jpg">
This modern enough? The Z32 still has a sexy engine… damn if it doesn't suck to do a plenum pull though.
<img src="http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff102/bobbywinter_photo/IMG_0714.jpg"width="600">
It's why my Z32 TT had leaky valve cover gaskets for it's whole tenure with me, lol. Any other car, 20 minute job. Z32? 2 hours of rage at Nissans packaging engineers.
You gotta admit though, it all fits…. even if it's just barely able to. I could deal without seeing so many wires and hoses but overall they're pretty clean. I'm just not sure if it counts as modern enough. It did have variable valve timing.
New answer… Not sure how I didn't think of this before.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/0zEONYe.jpg" width="500">
I actually saw one of these on the road recently.
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rLEsg_skycw/UflVyCB8AqI/AAAAAAAAB8A/S7GyAR_BHjM/s500/IMG_20130705_123746.jpg">
I'm stretching it here by adding the look of the engine to the engine placement, but the Moto Guzzi Griso 8V nails it:
<img src="http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20C/Moto%20Guzzi%20Griso%201200%208v%20%2008.jpg" width="500" />
<img src="http://hooniverse.info/wp-content/gallery/lsv12/photo-4.jpg"/>
If you mean "modern" as in "produced recently" and not technological sophistication, Honda's evergreen little 250 Rebel/CB250 motor still manages to be very pleasant to look at. Something about the shapes of the cylinder and head and the detailing on the valve cover make it feel exquisitely proportioned.
<img src="http://image.motorcyclecruiser.com/f/29066287/250s_lg 2003_honda_rebel engine_view.jpeg" width="320">
Did it even count as modern 30 years ago? Effective and reliable though.
[youtube zkpDuqPStKw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkpDuqPStKw youtube]
5.7L HEMI with old-school carb style intake and most of the plastic crap ripped off.
Is the Cadillac Sixteen recent enough, or does this have to be produciton-only? <img src="http://bit.ly/11xfOvS">