Top 10 Best Audi Engines of All Time

5. 3.0L V12 (Auto Union Type D 1938-1939) 

With all the press that modern Audi engines get these days, it can be easy to forget that the firm also had a number of excellent vintage engines as well. To get the scoop on this particular one, we have to rent a time machine, and make two stops, the first is in 1934, when Audi was known as Auto Union, and was trying to get to the top of the racing charts in pre-WW2 Germany. The first of these race cars was known as the Type B, and it was powered by a Porsche designed 5.6 liter supercharged V16 engine. The racing team got off to a good start, and their drivers managed to win 25 races between 1934 and 1937 in various Auto Union race cars.  

But then 1938 occurred, and auto manufacturers were forced to abide by new regulations. That included a maximum of 3.0 liters for all supercharged engines. As a result, the V16 was taken to the surgeon, and transformed into the smaller V12 featured in this countdown. It was still a powerhouse though, with the engine making 550 horsepower and having the stuff to snatch a win at the 1939 Yugoslavian and French Grand Prixs before WW2 shut the whole program down. 

Photo: Audi