The basic process of the four-stroke Engine is the same as it was in 1876 when Nikolaus Otto invented it. The only differences between an Engine that powers the 2017 CTS-V with 640 horsepower (HP) and the 3 HP Engine created in 1876: efficiency and capacity. It boils down to compressing air and gas into a tiny space, lighting it on fire and transferring that energy into mechanical motion.