Ferrari scored a hat trick at the International Engine of the Year awards 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany, clinching the overall trophy for the third consecutive year for its 3.9-litre V8 that powers the 488 Pista. The engine won by a huge margin to the Porsche 3-litre six-cylinder turbo and impressed the judges for its performance, emotion and advanced technology.

The 488 GTB gets the most powerful iteration of the V8, putting out peak power of 720hp and torque rating of 770Nm. This propels the Pista to 100kph from standstill in 2.8sec and onwards to 200kph time in 7.6sec. We exclusively drove a prototype of the Pista recently and were mighty impressed by its performance.

“In the 488 GTB, the 3.9-litre eight cylinder was a near-perfect example of a high-performance turbocharged engine, setting the bar so high that it swept aside rival powertrains. But redeveloped and tweaked for the 488 Pista, the best engine in the world just got better,” said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the IEOTY Awards.

Apart from the overall prize, the 3.9-litre V8 won top honours in the ‘Performance Engine’ and the ‘3.0 to 4.0-litre’ categories as well.

In the Electric Powertrain category, which was created specifically for full-electric vehicles in 2017, Tesla’s all-electric powertrain was adjudged the winner. It also won the title of best 'Green Engine'.

Volkswagen's 999cc three-cylinder turbo won in the 'sub-1.0-litre' category unseating the Ford's popular Ecoboost, which reigned supreme for six years.  The unit powers various VW Group models such as the Polo, Skoda Karoq, Audi Q2 and the Up GTI.

In the '1.0-litre to 1.4-litre' category, the PSA Peugeot Citroën 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine won for the fourth year in a row. The unit staved off competition from Volkswagen's 1.4-litre TFSI which powers the Tiguan amongst other models.

BMW's 1.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid from the i8 continued its winning streak, securing a fourth consecutive win in the '1.4 to 1.8-litre' category. In the '1.8-litre to 2.0-litre' category, Porsche secured its second win in a row with the 2.0-litre turbo that powers the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman.

In the '2.0-litre to 2.5-litre' category, Audi's 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo powering the RS 3 and TT RS was adjudged the winner. However, second placed Porsche 2.5-litre used in the 718 Boxster GTS and 718 Cayman GTS did give the Audi a run for its money.

Porsche's 3-litre flat-six turbo petrol powering the carmaker's 911 Carrera range was the juror's favorite in the '2.5-litre to 3.0-litre' category. It enjoyed a comfortable lead over the BMW's 3-litre six-cylinder unit that is equipped in the M4 Competition.

Securing a hat trick of wins, Ferrari's explosive 6.5-litre V12 emerged victorious in the 'above 4.0-litre' category. The unit, which powers the 812 Superfast, propels the rear-wheel drive F12 Berlinetta replacement to 100kph from standstill in 2.9sec. The V12 also clinched the best 'New Engine' award.