It may not come as much of a surprise to many of you, but Ferrari has won a pair of awards for the engine its 458->ke3479 supercar->ke177 uses. Every year a collection of journalists from more than 30 different countries weigh in on the best and brightest powerplants in the business and hand out multiple accolades to congratulate those that push forward the art of internal combustion.

Ferrari’s 4.5-liter V-8 was chosen for two separate awards, the Performance Engine of the Year and the award for the Above 4-liter class. Ferrari has won these two awards every year since 2011, with the 4.5-liter taking both honors in 2011 and 2012 -- the 2013 awards went to the V-12 engine in the F12 Berlinetta->ke4223.

With an astonishing -- and record-setting -- specific output of 135 horsepower per liter in the 458 Speciale, this naturally aspirated engine is one of the most advanced units ever created.

Ferrari->ke252 is not the only winner this year though, and competitors like McLaren->ke284 are also racking up awards for their engines. Ferrari won’t just sit back on its laurels, and as the four consecutive wins proves, the Italians will keep pushing the art of high-power, high-revving engines.

Click past the jump to read more about Ferrari's 4.5-liter V-8 engine.

Why It Matters

With cars like the Nissan GT-R->ke1592 and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray offering lots of performance for a bargain price, many people may look at Ferrari as just a badge that costs some extra coin. While that sentiment may carry a small amount of weight, awards like this prove that Ferrari is not merely selling cars based on brand cache alone. It is pushing the technology and engineering of engine building to create some of the greatest containers of internal combustion the world has ever seen.

Ferrari 458 Speciale

The Ferrari 458 Italia is the latest model in Ferrari's long line of mid-engined supercars. The family of 458 cars currently includes the 458 Italia, 458 Spider, and the 458 Speciale. A convertible version of the 458 Speciale is also coming soon.

Each car is powered by a 4.5-liter, eight-cylinder engine that ranges in power from 562 horsepower all the way up to 605. The engine will also rev all the way to a redline of 9,000 rpm, making it not only one of the most powerful naturally aspirated production engines, but one of the quickest-spinning ones as well.

From its stunning design to its power and handling performance, the 458 has consistently proven that it is one of the greatest road cars of our generation.