Increasing demands on the performance of internal combustion engines, specifically automobile engines, require the production of more mechanical energy for a given amount of chemical fuel with reduced tailpipe emissions. Of particular interest in the development of high performance/low emission engines is the control and timing of individual engine valves. This paper investigates the design of an innovative piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) based actuator mechanism with a novel stepping motion amplifier to deliver force and displacement at higher magnitudes and operating frequencies. The target application is an engine valve train which traditionally uses cam-based lifter driven rocker arms to regulate the cylinders’ intake and exhaust valve motion. The proposed PZT-based actuator mechanism introduces a high frequency, lightweight, precise position solution for cylinder-by-cylinder variable valve timing. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the feasibility of a PZT-based/camless valve train. The new valve train demonstrates similar cam-based performance characteristics while enabling computer controlled individual valve timing opportunities.