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BMW has proved to be a great favourite of the judges over the years and 2009 is no exception, with the evergreen M3 polling an impressive 319 points.

Marc Noordeloos from Automobile put his thoughts succinctly, “This engine makes you smile and rewards greatly when playing with the upper reaches of the rev counter.”

Interestingly, the current V8 weighs in at 2kg less than the straight six it replaced in 2008, and this weight saving comes despite its much increased power output.
Australian motoring writer Bill McKinnon noted, “It’s BMW’s best performance engine, and let’s not forget that wondrous 8,250rpm redline.” Meanwhile Dean Slavnich, Awards co-chairman, added: “There's a reason why this engine continues to pick up so many awards. Combining performance, refinement and efficiency is not easy but BMW has managed to do such a thing with this twin turbo."

The engine features a separate throttle butterfly for each cylinder, with two stepper motors operating them on each row of cylinders. This gives the BMW M engine a particularly sensitive response at low speeds together with an immediate reaction whenever the driver presses the accelerator.

The thought put into the engine design extends to the Drivelogic transmission. The engine’s high-tech cooling system is integral with the transmission fluid, so the gearbox warms up faster than usual, which is very useful for increasing fuel economy in very cold weather. But power is arguably the marker of a true M3 and this V8 does not disappoint: 414bhp is generated at 8,250rpm, which helps ensure a 1-100km/h dash of 4.2 seconds. Graham Johnson, co-chairman of the Awards summed up the reason to BMW’s success in this class: “The V8 engine is an enjoyable and useable powerhouse.”