V6 Or V8

[zako85]

Won't.
The price of the engine has to do with the development costs and the testing which goes into producing it. The actual cost of fabricating the components is probably a peppercorn amount.

The whole reason why Honda and Renault went with the V10 engines in 1989 was because the ideal capacity for a cylinder in a reciprocating engine is about 298cc. There's some calculus to describe why but it basically has to do with Charles's gas law.
3500/8 = 437.5
3500/10 = 350
3500/12 = 291

12 should be the best for a 3.5L formula but a V12 or flat-12 requires 3 main bearings; whereas a V10 needs only 2. For a 3L formula, a V10 is a fait accompli.

For a 1.6L formula 1600/298 = / 5.36. A V5 or inline-5 is probably the most ideal answer.

You're talking about what's the fastest, but I am talking about what's the most affordable Inline-4 has less parts, and therefore costs less. By this logic, an inline-3 would work quite well too