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Ford 1.0L takes third-straight International Engine of the Year award

Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost is proving to be The Little Engine That Could, and it continues to acquit itself well, finding favor as one of the best powerplants in the world. To confirm it yet again, the tiny mill just won the International Engine of the Year award for the third year in a row, likewise also nabbing the title in the Sub 1.0-liter category.
Packing 123 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque with overboost (125 lb-ft normally), the tiny engine combines impressive power in a size small enough to be a carry-on item for a commercial flight. US buyers only got a taste of the award winner in the 2014 Fiesta, while the 1.0 EcoBoost has been available throughout the Ford lineup in Europe for a few years now. American sales have reportedly been strong, however, and next up in the US, the mill will find its way into the 2015 Focus.
The panel of 82 jury members from 34 countries also named the Mercedes-AMG 2.0-liter turbo found in the A45, CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models with 355 hp and 332 lb-ft as the best New Engine for 2014. The electric powertrain from Tesla won Green Engine prize, and the 4.5-liter V8 from the Ferrari 458 Italia took home the honor of top Performance Engine yet again. You can check out all the winners below, and scroll down further to read Ford's celebratory announcement of its award.

LaFerrari design secrets explored at Ferrari museum

For every finished vehicle design we see, there are probably hundreds of drawings and models that have long since been discarded. Housed in its own room inside the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the LaFerrari has a unique exhibit that shows off some of the car's design evolution, and Autocar caught up with Ferrari design director Flavio Manzoni for an even deeper look at what went into creating this hybrid supercar.
In addition to the final product, the LaFerrari exhibit also reveals some of the designs that didn't make the cut - two of which made it to the full-size scale model phase, though. The display shows off five different designs (three from Ferrari and two from Pininfarina) that were in the running to become the final LaFerrari.
The interview with Manzoni even adds in some juicy bits of info, including news that one of the potential LaFerrari designs has been locked away and could resurface as a special, one-off model. Manzoni gets in a couple of good quotes while voicing his opposition of the current retro design language currently being used by some automakers, as well. Check it all out in the video below.

Ferrari supercar hybrid prototype chased down by fan

As discovered by Ferrari Chat and reported by Motor1, an Instagram user by the name Lambolife (@9000lambo) and a friend were out cruising in Europe when they ran across what looks like a Ferrari prototype, possibly a hybrid based on the F8 Tributo. The pair got the car on video as they were chasing it down the road and into a parking lot where the prototype driver tried to hide. Besides being amusing to watch the test driver trying desperately to keep the fans from seeing the car, we actually get a good glimpse at the vehicle. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Looking closely, the size and shape is very similar to the F8 Tributo, which is the latest evolution of the 488 GTB, and the 458 GTB before that. The shape of the rear spoiler and the edge of the front nose are particularly similar to the F8. But there are a couple differences, starting with the exhaust. On the regular car, the pipes are mounted low and set far apart. On this prototype, the pipes come out much higher up, and they're very close together. On top of that, you can just make out the triangular electrocution hazard sticker on one side of the car. This suggests it's a hybrid. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. A hybrid Ferrari similar to the F8 makes sense with other news we've heard recently. The company has confirmed it's working on hybrid drivetrains. Past reports say that one of them is a V6 hybrid with as much as 728 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque, and the other is a V8 hybrid with unknown performance, but most certainly greater than the V6. The first of the engines will be released in May, and since Ferrari's CEO said it will exceed the 812 Superfast, which makes 789 horsepower, that first engine will probably be the V8. This could be a prototype of Ferrari's soon-to-be-released V8 hybrid. It's also possible that this is simply a powertrain test mule, or a prototype for the V6 model coming later. At least we're half way through May, so we should have the answers to our questions very soon.