88 pounds and 400 hp?

[stroker]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/01/27/nissan-reveals-400-hp-three-cylinder-engine-for-lemans-racer/?intcmp=features

[TravelGal]

As a complete techno-nothing, I've always wondered why engines had to be so large and so heavy so I find this article fascinating.

[Rogue Leader]

As a complete techno-nothing, I've always wondered why engines had to be so large and so heavy so I find this article fascinating.

Physically most 4 cylinder engines aren't that much bigger than that (don't forget it is missing some big heavy components like the exhaust manifold, intake, etc). As for the engine design a lot of road going engines are bigger, made of iron, etc, for durability purposes. Most race engines are run and cooled under ideal conditions, and torn down after every couple thousand miles or less. Road engines need to go 100k+ miles in every condition by people who don't change the oil, get plastic bags caught in the radiator, use bad gas, and generally don't give a ****. Ohh and want it as cheap as possible.

That said as technology advances these racing technologies become more foolproof reliable they will and do find their way into road cars. Look at the Camaro for example it hasn't had an iron block engine since 1997.