Such changes are often done to denote a modification in engine displacement.

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The radical minimalism of these machines, built mostly in Europe in the 1950s and early '60s, reflected the region's postwar scarcity. (One resourceful builder beat old cooking pots into fender panels.) They typically measure 10 feet long or less, with less than 700-cc engine displacement and one or two seats arranged side by side or in tandem, scooter style.

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The engine gives 800 CV and revs to a maximum of 9, 250 rpm, a record for an engine of this displacement.

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Inadequate in the smaller Jetta and a cruel joke in the Passat, the 2.5L will be replaced with a small-displacement gas-turbo engine for model-year 2013, and not a second too soon.

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This unique automobile is powered by a BRABUS SV12 R Biturbo 750 engine, a prime example for the proven fact that there is no substitute for displacement except more displacement.

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You can't beef about the car's engine, the Detroit-built Multiair, which coaxes 101 horsepower out of 1.4 liters of naturally aspirated displacement.

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