Engines. At the heart of the matter they really are the heart of the matter. First and foremost, the power; they move us, some better than others. Sound. Oh, the glorious sound of dinosaur juice transforming to noise. And the looks; a project truly isn't finished if its engine can't back up its intentions.

Need an example of our love affair with the engine? Probably the most oft asked question is what's under the hood. So significant is the engine that it's the first thing speed-parts manufacturers catered to. It's also the one that got the greatest effort heaped upon it—some Flathead Ford manifold collections number in the hundreds. It's also the one that undergoes the most scrutiny; the engine probably has the greatest amount of legislation. Some jurisdictions forbid engine modifications, period.

Naturally the engine ranks pretty highly at every show and the SEMA event is no different. We snapped photos while ambling the aisles at the 50th-anniversary gig in Las Vegas. Though certainly not an exhaustive account, it's a pretty good representation.

Some grunt. Some sing. But all get us to where we need to go, physically and in some cases spiritually. What's your favorite engine?