And now, a moment of silence, for a passing legend. BMW has finally killed off the engine that once brought it to greatness: its venerable inline-six.

Due to fuel efficiency concerns, the straight-six is being phased out in favor of turbocharging and four-cylinder engines, like in the next 1-Series. The six was known among enthusiasts for its aural allure and smooth power delivery, being one of the most regarded naturally-aspirated engines in production.

But now, “it is more about fuel economy more than anything else,” says Piers Scott, a BMW spokesman. “From a performance perspective obviously we’ve had some enormous success with naturally aspirated engines. But now we’re able to achieve comparable performance but with far greater fuel economy through smaller, more compact turbochargers.”

Within a few years, BMW hopes to move to an all-turbocharged lineup, like a Teutonic Saab. BMW continues to offer turbocharged versions of its 3.0-liter six-cylinder powerplant – like in the 335i.

The BMW straight-six can draw its history from the Big Six series, the successor and further development of the legendary Neue Klasse. Over the years, BMW sixes have powered everything from the M1 race car to the “sharknose” 6-series, from powerful M5s and M3s to even the most mundane 730i. It’s the engine that made the company; it’s to BMW what flat-sixes are to Porsche and rotaries are to Mazdas. And now that it’s been killed off, well—the world of cars seems a little more homogenized as a result.

Ironically, the Senior Six was developed as a replacement for the Neue Klass’s M10 four-cylinder, the engine that powered the 2002—a car whose most legendary form came with a Turbo. The more things change, said Bon Jovi, the more things stay the same.

[Source: Stuff.co.nz]

Not too long ago, four-cylinder engines in most North American market vehicles were seen as an afterthought, something to give the rental fleets and entry-level buyers.

Today however, that perception appears to have changed, certainly among volume brands like Chevrolet. So far this year, GM has reported that four-cylinder powered vehicles are representing approximately 46 percent of total Chevy retail sales, contrasting with just 23 percent in 2007. Higher fuel prices and environmental ‘awareness’ likely play a part, but so does technology.

Today’s four-cylinder engines are much more refined and powerful, to the point that the old adage ‘there’s no replacement for displacement’ doesn’t really apply any more.

GM has spent a huge amount of R&D and engineering on improving its four-cylinder engines, via such technologies as direct injection and turbocharging and according to Rick Scheidt, US Chevrolet Vice President this has resulted in “performance and refinement drivers expect from Chevy in smaller engines that deliver the fuel efficiency they want.”

Efforts toward meeting stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards is also likely a major reason why four-cylinder engines are becoming more popular in the US.

[Source: egm Car Tech]

Turbocharging is moving away from the performance sphere and into the mainstream as companies seek to get more power and fuel economy from smaller displacement engines.

Honeywell, a leading automotive equipment supplier and turbocharger company, estimates that by 2015, 35 million new vehicles with turbochargers will be sold annually, up from 17 million right now. While Honeywell has an obvious interest in promoting the use of this technology, their numbers are backed by independent research firms like J.D. Power, and the company is hedging its bets on the internal combustion engine.

“Despite the buzz around hybrid and electric vehicles, it is clear that automakers will be looking primarily at turbocharged engines to help ‘green’ their fleets and meet the regulatory targets like CAFE in the U.S.,” Alex Ismail, president and CEO of Honeywell Transportation System, told Wired magazine.

While alternative fuel vehicles have their merits, you’ll never find us complaining about more turbocharged gasoline engines.

[Source: Wired Magazine]

Ferrari is hard at work trying to refine the turbocharging process so that future products will use the high-horsepower, low emissions (and low weight) technology. According to a report in the U.K.’s AutoCar, Ferrari engine developer Jean-Jacques His says the development is well under weigh, but the biggest issue facing the project is turbo lag.

Conventionally, turbos take time to spool up to full power, but that doesn’t suit the Ferrari way of doing things. Instead, Ferrari has traditionally opted for naturally aspirated (non turbocharged or supercharged) engines that deliver better throttle response and a more linear deliver of power. His told AutoCar that a delay of any sort in the power delivery was simply unacceptable.

A few years ago Porsche introduced variable turbine geometry (VTG) turbos that helped reduce turbo lag significantly, but apparently even that impressive technology is not enough for Ferrari. The company has also discounted using Fiat’s Multiair setup, as it doesn’t work as efficiently at higher rpm and with larger engines.

Ferrari has used turbos sparingly across its model range over the years, including most recently in the F40 supercar (pictured above), which was last made in 1992.

Another bit of info gleaned from the interview is that Ferrari’s new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which debuted in the California, is suitable for V12 engines, meaning that were likely to see this new technology arrive in the successor to the 612 Scaglietti and other future V12 models.

[Source: AutoCar]