RE: V8s are great!

Monday 19th June 2017

V8s are great!

There aren't many naturally aspirated V8s left on sale, so let's celebrate them while we can!



Think back maybe 10 or 15 years and, relatively speaking, we were spoilt by a choice of naturally aspirated V8s. You could have a non-M BMW 5 Series with one, you could have a Ferrari with one, you could have a Land Rover Discovery with one.


Now however, with the rise of turbos, diesels and hybrids, traditional big-cube V8s are under threat. Sure, they're still thundering along nicely in the US, but choice for European buyers is far more limited. And, well, you can't imagine a resurgence for them now, can you?

So while various turbo and hybrid arrangements are very good, we thought it high time to celebrate the last of a dying breed: those cars that rely purely on displacement and eight cylinders in a vee for their power. Because who doesn't love a V8?

There's something tremendously amusing about arriving at a photoshoot with a 4.7-litre car and that being the smallest engine in the group. To that end this is not a serious, analytical, objective assessment. This is not a test with a winner and a loser. This is a gathering of V8s, a reminder of why they're brilliant and - to be frank - an excuse to drive some cool cars. Enjoy!


Introduction
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Maserati MC Stradale
Lexus RC F
Ford Mustang GT
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
Verdict

[Huge thanks to HR Owen for helping us out and loaning PH the MC Stradale you see here. It's currently for sale at the St Albans dealership]

Author
Discussion

ZX10R NIN

Original Poster:

27,493 posts

124 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
I love my 6.2 V8 in my CLK it is one addictive engine although the 4.7 Granturismo Sportline ran it close it wasn't as powerful but it just worked well with the car & you can't beat that sound.

culpz

4,881 posts

111 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
A decent article this. In today's world, big N/A engines definitely need to be celebrated, regardless if they're actually any good or not. Funnily enough, if i was to pick out of all of these, it's actually the Lexus RCF that interests me the most, closely followed by the Mustang.

Obviously, the weight thing does seem pretty silly. But, as a road car, as Mr Harris said on his review, it just makes for a great car to have.. I love the proper coupe looks and styling and also that wacky interior. It's just something a bit different, powered by a sonorous, atmospheric V8.

Fishy Dave

1,024 posts

244 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
You can buy new C7 Corvette and Camaro in the UK too. A V8 will be my next car, almost certainly a Corvette C6 manual.

ZX10R NIN

Original Poster:

27,493 posts

124 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
Saving up the funds to import one of these:



I mean just listen to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtdtGgf1BF0

With the fact it handle to just seals the deal.

ZX10R NIN

Original Poster:

27,493 posts

124 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
Here's a review with more than a few V8's in the mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4f4q52J9qY

AshBurrows

2,552 posts

161 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
This is why I have a mental cammed LS3 in my M3. Nothing beats the sound and power delivery. Hilariously good engine configuration.

sparta6

3,689 posts

99 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
Nobody needs to attend a Guns N Roses concert either - and yet they do.

Nicholls22

57 posts

161 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
ZX10R NIN said:
Saving up the funds to import one of these:



I mean just listen to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtdtGgf1BF0

With the fact it handle to just seals the deal.
If only I earned enough to save for one. Love them finished in Ruby Red.


njw1

2,053 posts

110 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
'You could have a non-M BMW 5 Series with one'

I've had two, one of them I had for three years which is the longest I've ever owned a car and I only sold it because I'd bought an e39 M5. Me and mate were having a chat about engines a while back, his argument was that v8's are outdated, drink fuel and don't actually make a lot of power for their size when compared to modern smaller turbo motors, to be fair, he was probably right, even diesels these days can run big power and still return good mpg. My reply was that no other engine seems to have the character of a v8, there's something about the way they deliver their power, you need to own a v8 for a while to get it I've found. Then there's the lazy torque, the mid range shove, the noise.
Due to a change in the circumstances the above mentioned M5 had to go and I now have a diesel which does what I want it to do very well indeed, however, exciting and characterful are not words that I would ever use to describe it. It'll do me for a couple of years yet but then I know I'll be back in a v8. smile

PringleFTW

9 posts

103 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
I've always loved V8's. Currently on my 2nd V8 car and I've owned each of them for a long time compared to my usual turnaround.

This article pretty much sums up my logic for buying the e39 M5 I've been driving for the past couple years. With fuel prices only going to go one way and road tax on these cars going up all the time, it's going to become harder and harder to find big ridiculous naturally aspirated V8 cars you can actually use every day, so snap them up while you've got the chance. I'm not completely against turbo cars, but they're a different character and almost everything released today has one, so I'm sure I'll be forced to get one eventually. I'd have been totally gutted if I'd missed the opportunity to drive about with a big charismatic engine which actually feels and sounds special.

bullittmcqueen

1,256 posts

90 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
PringleFTW said:
I've always loved V8's. Currently on my 2nd V8 car and I've owned each of them for a long time compared to my usual turnaround.

This article pretty much sums up my logic for buying the e39 M5 I've been driving for the past couple years. With fuel prices only going to go one way and road tax on these cars going up all the time, it's going to become harder and harder to find big ridiculous naturally aspirated V8 cars you can actually use every day, so snap them up while you've got the chance. I'm not completely against turbo cars, but they're a different character and almost everything released today has one, so I'm sure I'll be forced to get one eventually. I'd have been totally gutted if I'd missed the opportunity to drive about with a big charismatic engine which actually feels and sounds special.
The new TVR will feature a naturally aspirated 5.0 Liter V8 enhanced by Cosworth. TVR deliberately chose this type of engine.

njw1

2,053 posts

110 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
bullittmcqueen said:
The new TVR will feature a naturally aspirated 5.0 Liter V8 enhanced by Cosworth. TVR deliberately chose this type of engine.

That's 'cause TVR are mental! In a good way. biggrin

ghiblicup

605 posts

213 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
The Maserati Granturismo is ten years old and while quite an agile car for it's size it is a bit long in the tooth now. The brand has been all but ruined in my opinion. Breaks my heart.

MasterWitsec

1 posts

81 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
I've become convinced that the engine in my luckily acquired BMW E92 M3 is one of the best ever made. With the race exhaust, there's nothing like the feeling of taking 4.0L's of naturally aspirated V8 over 8000rpm. Every time I get the inkling to change to a turbo'd M2/3/4/5/ or 6, I do just that . . .

varsas

4,004 posts

201 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
PringleFTW said:
I've always loved V8's. Currently on my 2nd V8 car and I've owned each of them for a long time compared to my usual turnaround.

This article pretty much sums up my logic for buying the e39 M5 I've been driving for the past couple years. With fuel prices only going to go one way and road tax on these cars going up all the time, it's going to become harder and harder to find big ridiculous naturally aspirated V8 cars you can actually use every day, so snap them up while you've got the chance. I'm not completely against turbo cars, but they're a different character and almost everything released today has one, so I'm sure I'll be forced to get one eventually. I'd have been totally gutted if I'd missed the opportunity to drive about with a big charismatic engine which actually feels and sounds special.
V8's, at least cross plane crank ones like your BMW and most other common V8's, have an odd firing order. The engine as a whole has even firing, but each bank goes fire, miss, miss, fire, fire, miss, fire (with the other bank filling in the gaps). This is why V8's have that distinctive off-beat noise. It's also why they don't rev particularly high, the air flow just isn't very good because of the odd firing. It's these imperfections which give the V8 it's cvharacter. Flat-plane crank V8's (Ferrari, AJPV8, Mustang 350R etc) are more like two four cylinder engines on a single crank and are quite different.

jakesmith

9,461 posts

170 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
ghiblicup said:
The Maserati Granturismo is ten years old and while quite an agile car for it's size it is a bit long in the tooth now. The brand has been all but ruined in my opinion. Breaks my heart.
I've just got one, it is all about the looks and sound and I don't see either diminishing much in the future
The drive & the tech are nowhere near the 997 I replaced with it
I agree that they have hurt their brand with the 4x4 and Ghibli. I don't think Maserati's pedegree is as resilient as Porsche's was when they launched the Cayenne

BK911

61 posts

185 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
I'd like to try something newer / faster and different...have test driven a few new Turbo 6's. Then I get into my V8 on the way home and nothing compares.

Any point in a down sized engine car? (sub £50k market)... doesn't make sense to me!


Edited by BK911 on Monday 19th June 13:39

AC43

11,435 posts

207 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
njw1 said:
no other engine seems to have the character of a v8, there's something about the way they deliver their power, you need to own a v8 for a while to get it I've found. Then there's the lazy torque, the mid range shove, the noise.
Totally agree.

I test drove my first V8 (a slightly tatty Tanzanite Blue 1999 E55) one sunny morning back in 2003. By that afternoon I'd put a deposit down on 2000 C43 saloon which served me well for several years until a larger family meant my chopping it in for a C43 Estate. Then a growing camping habit meant the lure of Airmatic and self-levelling got me into a 2005 5.0 E500 estate. Absolutely loved that car and kept for seven years.

Lucking the camping habit has gone but I still have a V8 - this time the 390bhp 5.5 as found in a 2010 E500. And its Tanzanite Blue, just like the first one I drove all those years ago.

Oddles of character whether bimbling to the shops or blasting to the South of France.

Sometime I drive on the paddles purely to platy tunes.

I LOVE V8's. 14 years and counting. And as the one I have is only on 55k I've got a fair few years to go. This one's a keeper.


Edited by AC43 on Monday 19th June 13:41

AC43

11,435 posts

207 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
BK911 said:
Any point in a down sized engine car? (sub £50k market)
Nope. To my horror a brand new 4 pot diesel S Class clattered past me yesterday. MY EARS!!!

If you HAVE to do a downsided hybrid they only acceptable option is a V6 petrol + battery pack.

Anything less in a car like that is sacriledge.

And the V8's are, of course, the pinnacle in the range.

AC43

11,435 posts

207 months

Monday 19th June 2017
quotequote all
It's not just me. One of my mates sold his RS6 and bought diesel RR Sport. That lasted all of 6 months and now he's in a S/C 5.0.

Another mate has a 50th anniversary Defender as his DD.

And a third has just bought a 99 Alpina 5 Series with a dirty great V8.

That's four of them in a one mile radius in London.