Fiat's 875cc TwinAir engine has been awarded International Engine of the Year by a panel of 76 judges. Fitted to the 500, the turbocharged engine, which is exempt from London's congestion charge, impressed judges with its low emissions, excellent fuel economy and relatively high 85bhp output.

In fact it impressed them so much, it also scooped wins in the Best New Engine, Best Sub 1-litre and Best Green Engine categories, seeing off electric powertrains in the process.

Editor of Engine Technology International, Dean Slavnich, said: "Its (the TwinAir's) triumph is a clear signal that less is more: people want low-emission, fuel-efficient yet powerful engines and just two cylinders certainly seems to provide a comprehensive solution!"

At the other end of the scale, Ferrari's 4.5-litre, 570bhp, flat-plane crank V8 (from the 458 Italia) won both Best Performance Engine of the Year and best engine in the 'Above 4-litre' category.

Meanwhile, BMW scooped awards in the '3-litre to 4-litre' category for the 4.0-litre V8 from the M3; in the '2.5-litre to 3-litre' for its DI Twin Turbo, which is fitted across the range; the '1.8-litre to 2-litre' category for its 2-litre Twin Turbo diesel engine found in 123d and X1; and the '1.4-litre to 1.8-litre' category for its 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo, which features in the MINI Cooper S and was co-developed with Peugeot and Citroen.

Volkswagen and Audi were victorious in the '1-litre to 1.4-litre' and '2-litre to 2.5-litre' categories with their 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger and 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged, units respectively.

Russell Campbell - 19 May 2011