11 Best V8 Cars Available Right Now
Although all engines are a thing of beauty in their own way, the V8 seems to have something extra special about it; it is fast, smooth, and roars like no other. Because they are smaller and lighter than the average engine, they can be placed further down in the car for better handling. Not to mention they are cheaper to produce and can provide just as much power as bigger engines. Here are eleven of the best V8 cars out there.
Ferrari 458 Italia
The Ferrari 458 Italia was first introduced in 2009 and has since been replaced by the 488, but its engine will go down in history as the world’s best output for a naturally aspirated engine. It was the first Ferrari mid-engine setup to use direct fuel injection. The 458 features a 274.5 cubic inch V8 engine with 578 horsepower and nine thousand revolutions per minute (rpm) and 398 pounds per feet of torque power that would be a great addition to any car.
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG features a 6.2 liter V8 with 451 horsepower and 443 pounds per feet of torque. Upgrading to the 507 edition will provide 507 horsepower and a zero to sixty miles per hour time of 4.1 seconds to the rear-wheel drive racer. The C63 is a bit beefier than previous models, standing one hundred and eighty-seven inches long and 73.9 inches wide with rear wheels measuring 10.5 inches wide. It also includes V8 Biturbo badges behind each front wheel.
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has made Americans proud for years with its powerful, reliable and smooth V8 engine. Newer models of the Stingray go for around fifty-six thousand dollars and feature a 6.2 liter V8 with 455 horsepower, 460 pounds per feet of torque power, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Opting for the sports exhaust will provide a total of 460 horsepower and 465 pounds per feet of torque, which is good enough to hang with some of the top European cars on the race track.
Chrysler 300 SRT-8
The last of the American V8 engines with rear-wheel drive, the Chrysler 300 SRT-8 features a 6.1 liter Hemi with 425 horsepower and six thousand and two hundred rpm and 420 pounds per feet of torque. It hits sixty miles per hour from a standstill in just 4.9 seconds. When compared to the standard 300, the SRT-8 has larger valves, a reinforced engine block, and bigger intake runners, which increased the horsepower by twenty-five percent.
Cadillac CTS-V
Cadillac was on top of their game when they made the CTS-V ten years ago, as even today it remains one of the best high-performance sedans available. Just when no one thought the CTS-V could get any more powerful, Cadillac released the third generation model in 2017 that features a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine sourced from a Corvette, 640 horsepower and 630 pounds per feet of torque. Best of all is its upgrade from a six-speed manual transmission to an eight-speed automatic.
Koenigsegg Agera R
The Koenigsegg Agera R puts out an astonishing one thousand one hundred and forty horsepower and 885 pounds per feet of torque power with a twin-turbo 5.0 liter V8. It has a top speed of two hundred and seventy-three miles per hour and goes zero to one hundred and twenty in just under eight seconds. When tested in 2011, the production car broke six world land speed records including zero to one hundred and eighty-six miles per hour in 14.53 seconds and one hundred and eighty-six to zero in 21.9 seconds.
Jaguar F-Type V8S
If engine roar is a priority, the Jaguar F-Type V8S’s engine cannot be topped. After running tests to gauge the 2014 engine with forty thousand miles, it was determined it could be heard fifty feet away with a recorded ninety-five A-weighted decibels (dBA) while accelerating - which is as loud as a jackhammer and can cause hearing damage. Sound measurements inside the car with the windows up and top closed reached 89 dBA. The 2017 model features a 5.0 liter V8 with 575 horsepower and 516 pounds per feet of torque power.
Shelby GT500
It is not possible to have a list of the best V8 cars without the GT500. Shelby Mustangs have a long line of impressive V8 cars, but the GT500 wins first prize. Beginning in 2015, Ford upgraded some aggressive style into the GT500 by including custom twenty-inch WELD Venice wheels and Michelin tires, Wilwood brakes, and improvements to the spoiler, diffuser, splitters, rockers and hood. It features a supercharged 5.8 liter V8 with 662 horsepower and 631 pounds per feet of torque power.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
While the SLS AMG is not as fast the McLaren and Ferrari, it is a far classier ride with an equally thrilling AMC V8 engine that sounds incredible. The gullwing version has won prestigious awards and was the only vehicle ever to win the gold for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. It features a 6.2 liter V8 with 583 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, and a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Upgrading to the Black Series gives an output of 622 horsepower.
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C might not be as pretty as a Ferrari, but its twin-turbo, dry-sump V8 is just as audibly appealing. Both the roadster and coupe are powered by 616 horsepower and can reach speeds of two hundred and four miles per hour with a zero to sixty time of three seconds. Its chassis is based on the Carbon MonoCell, which is an F1 style one-piece carbon fiber tube weighing approximately one hundred and seventy-six pounds.
Lucra LC470
For about five percent of the cost of a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Short, the Lucra LC470 goes just as fast (zero to sixty miles per hour in 2.5 seconds). Pitching itself as “street legal, but just barely,” Lucra has managed to make a super sports car for the working man. The 2013 LC470 features a 7.0-liter V8 engine with 630 horsepower, 604 pounds per feet of torque power and a five-speed manual transmission.