Among the many bulletproof I4 engines from Honda, arguably the best ones had VTEC, the world’s first valve system that could simultaneously change valve timing and lift on the intake and exhaust sides, starting in 1989. When many engines might start running out of steam—about 4500 rpm—VTEC provided a discernible shove by switching to a different cam profile.
Your favorite Hondas used it, like the Prelude, S2000, and Civic Si, Type R, and del Sol. A General Motors executive once told a journalist that a Honda four-cylinder belongs on every list of great engines. Could there be a higher form of praise?