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This year’s Best Performance Engine category pitted for the first time Ferrari against McLaren away from the F1 circuit and in the road-going supercar sphere. The outcome was a hands-down 2011 victory for Maranello, with the 458 Italia V8 totting up more than double the points that the MP4-12C V8 received.

The 4,499cc V8 is the first Ferrari direct-injection engine to be mid-rear mounted. It boasts a very low piston compression height that’s typical of a racing engine, and this contributes to it achieving a compression ratio of 12.5:1. Equipped with the traditional flat-plane crankshaft, the V8 delivers 562bhp at 9,000rpm and 540Nm of torque at 6,000rpm.

With power of 125bhp per litre, the Ferrari V8 last year not only set a new internal benchmark for the Prancing Horse, it’s also established a new level for the market segment.

In the real world, such power means that the 458 Italia sprints to 100km/h in under 3.4 seconds before continuing hitting a top speed of 325km/h (200mph). With such power on tap, and a development program that focused on performance, it’s little wonder that the IEOTYA jury were quick to praise.

“Super response and extreme power,” was how Yasuhiko Kawamura, a leading Japanese freelancer, described the 458 unit.

“The battle between Ferrari and McLaren comes from the F1 circus to the production cars: two explosive engines, with the Italian V8 offering just a bit of smoothness more,” said Massimo Nascimbene from La Repubblica, one of the many judges who found it hard to choose between the Ferrari and McLaren engines.

Aside from the power and performance, the V8’s soundtrack has also been engineered to be typical Ferarri. It has an exciting and powerful growl emerging from the V8 before it channels through to the exhaust’s three real tailpipes. “One of the best sounding engines out there,” commented Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the Awards.