From sedans to sports cars and trucks, these sturdy V6 engines have been powering some of the industry's coolest cars for decades.

One of the most important engine makers and influential vehicle manufacturers in history, Lancia introduced the world's first series-production V6 engine just over 71 years ago. Since then, almost every vehicle on the market has had a V6 engine, from supercars to minivans.

Before the introduction of forced induction, the V6 engine has always struck a balance between the mediocre 4 cylinders and the gas-guzzling V8s. It was not the most powerful or efficient engine, but one that had a significant impact on the automotive sector. The Germans, Japanese, and Italians are among those that continue to put their faith in the 6-cylinder engines, which is continuously being upgraded and powering some of the best automobiles to this very day.

Updated December 2022: The V6 engine has proven to be one of the most versatile engines in the automotive industry, finding its way into every kind of vehicle. It is not necessarily the most powerful or efficient configuration, but it does well to compromise between the two. We have now updated this list to include what might be the best engine currently in production.

Automakers showed that they did not require V8 engines to deliver amazing performance and satisfy sports car fanatics. It is no wonder the 6-cylinder engine often gets overlooked, despite continuing to power some of the world’s greatest sports cars and supercars. American gear heads may prefer V8s, and four-cylinders are certainly more fuel-efficient, but the V6 is what we ride with today.

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The Ford EcoBoost six-cylinder engine is one of the best V6 engines available today. EcoBoost V6 comes in three sizes: 2.7, 3.0, and 3.5 liters, with the last delivering 669 horsepower and being used in the current Ford GT supercar.

The engine was designed to deliver the power that Ford truck drivers expect, while using less fuel and emitting fewer ozone-depleting emissions. It didn't take long for it to become well known.

Volkswagen's VR6 engine was innovative when it debuted in the early '90s. But it wasn't until VW fitted the ingenious, narrow-angle VR6 engine into the Corrado that it blossomed.

By putting six cylinders in a zig-zag layout on one cylinder head, the VR6 became an alternative to turbo technology and provided good power and good durability. Back in the day, this made the VR6 a viable performance engine.

The AJ126 is a 3.0-liter V6 engine produced by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which replaced the Ford Duratec V6 AJ engine after it was completely phased out. It's a 3.0-liter V-6 supercharged version of the existing AJ133 5.0-liter V8 with two fewer cylinders manufactured on the same line as the AJ133.

It is also a very smooth engine. Despite forced induction, the power supply is fluid and is also extremely musical with hints of the ancient straight-6s.

Related: Looking Back At The Jaguar XJ220, A Forgotten Legend

In 2007, Japan's most recent supercar, the Nissan GT-R, was unveiled all around the globe. This marvel of technology was the latest in vehicle engineering. The VR38DETT is the core of this masterpiece. It's a 3.8L V6 with 480 hp. With every succeeding engine change, the figure only gets pushed further.

In 3.5 seconds, it exploded to 60 mph and wiped out the quarter miles by 11.7 seconds at 116.8 mph. Many of the changes in Nissan manufacturing are actually made by hand.

The classically designed Alfa Romeo V6 engine, nicknamed "Busso," by the name of its creator, the great Alfa Romeo engineer, Giuseppe Busso, is so revered among fans that it often boosts the car's market value.

It is not only one of the greatest-sounding V6 engines ever made, it's possibly the best. In 2005, Busso V6 production finally came to an end after 166 and GT coupe were phased out. Within a few days of the last Alfa V6, Giuseppe Busso, the designer of the engine, died.

The newest Honda NSX is a masterpiece of engineering packed with the latest technology. So much so that a hybrid technological advantage and nine-speed dual-clutch by-wire are often disregarded by the internal combustion engine. In 1991 It was Honda's first automobile sold with a V-TEC (variable valve time technology) in America.

It was also the first production car with an all-aluminum structure. It derived power from an all-aluminum 3.0-liter V6 DOHC that produces 270 hp and an F1 soundtrack.

The plan in the late 1960s was for Ferrari to create a separate series of mid-engine, six-cylinder cars named after Enzo Ferrari's late son. Under the Ferrari moniker, V12-powered front-engine road cars would continue to be produced. At the end of 1955, Dino proposed to Enzo Ferrari the creation of a V6 engine for F2, which finished an impressive third in the Grand Prix of Naples.

Dino would never see the engine, as he became ill and died at the age of 24 in 1956. In the Lancia Stratos, Ferrari's Dino V6 engine showed the world exactly what a V6 Ferrari engine could do.

Related: These Are The Coolest V6-Engined Classics Money Can buy

The twin-turbo V6 under the hood of the new Giulia Quadrifoglio has more than just a passing resemblance to the Ferrari F154 engine. It was developed by the same engineers.

The 500 hp lump is a thing of beauty and sings the sweetest of songs. It is arguably the best engine, let alone V6, in production today.

Sources: Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Nissan

Ramya is a Computer Engineering graduate with a lifelong love of automobiles. Digs all types of cars but has a special place in his heart for Japanese and Italian two-seater sports cars.