best sounding v8s ever?

[coppice]

peteA said:

That F40 - wow!

When did Ferrari V8’s go flat plane crank...355?...or earlier?

I’ve heard a friends 360 CS at close quarters...as in about 2 foot away from my open window as he blasted past and bloody hell its amazing! Not a traditional Muscle car V8 but something altogether different, not better or worse just different so I guess it’s just a preference thing?

From memory it'd be right back to the 308GT4 of 1975. Much as I love the red machines I have never ,ever liked the sound of the V8 . The only one I've heard which I liked was the F40 's I saw being hammered in Maranello once. The rest sound reedy , thin and buzzy . I was at a hillclimb event last year with a FOC class and it was very noticeable that people were enjoying the sound of everything from 911s to Imprezas and bike engined cars more than the 'is that it ?' chainsaw noise from the Ferrari V8s .

[3528]

Hungrymc said:

Did you look at the actual timing (or phasing) of the ignition pulses relative to each other? Does one have more irregular spacing between ignitions? Both will have 4 Per revolution but I think we have different length gaps between them?

I’m sure I can work it out but can anyone save me the effort? It may be irrelevant anyway but thought I’d ask.

Good question. In cases where the ignition pulses were the same (e.g. same engine but with different exhausts) it seems that the exhaust alone caused the change in sound. That's assuming nothing else was changed, but in this unscientific observation I'm pretty sure that the exhaust is the main (if not total) cause of the change in sound.

[3528]

Just another example to add to my rambling post earlier: if you look up 2-stroke V8s on YouTube there's a video of one that someone is putting in a drag car (video of the engine sat on the ground, running, with expansion chambers pointing in all different directions). This sounds like a four-cylinder two stroke to me (like a Yamaha TZ750 for example), so I'm guessing that it has a flat-plane crank.

Now, if you look up the same engine as used in its original installation (boat outboard motor), there's a video of someone running an outboard attached to the back of a racing boat, and when he revs it, it sounds like a V8 (that is, V8 as in non-four-cylinder-sounding, but not crossplane-V8-sounding, as per previous discussion). The difference again between the two examples is separate exhausts versus the effective eight-into-one configuration of the outboard motor, which is in line with my supposition.

I've just dug out the videos I mentioned above.

The first one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmnsXTMLzCE

The second one in the outboard (best example from 2:05 onwards): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOKbVlTuGCQ


The difference between the sound of the two is effectively the same as what I was going on about with the different Ferrari exhausts in my previous post.

[liner33]

aeropilot said:

DanielSan said:

aeropilot said:

......you've obviously never stood next to a pair of vintage blown Chrysler 92's or Donovon 417's running 100% nitro with flames out the zoomies as they make a 1/4 mile pass.

You’re mistaking volume for sound, easy mistake to make.

No mistake on my part sonny.....

Love that idle , only get that on nitro

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

[XFRFred]

I'm biased here, but the Jaguar 5.0 AJ-V8 Gen III, with Spires exhaust on the XFR
Constantly hunting for tunnels, to hear it growl and the scream as you race up through the rev range.

However i do also have a soft spot for the 1967 Ford Mustang GT500, that hunting sound it makes when idling

Edited by XFRFred on Tuesday 16th January 12:00

[anonymous-user]

DanielSan said:

aeropilot said:

......you've obviously never stood next to a pair of vintage blown Chrysler 92's or Donovon 417's running 100% nitro with flames out the zoomies as they make a 1/4 mile pass.

You’re mistaking volume for sound, easy mistake to make.

As you know, running engines on fuel creates a different type of combustion than when using regular fuel (be it petrol, race fuel or methanol). To say that it's just noise or volume is somewhat doing it a disservice. It's unlikely you've heard something like a blown big block Chevy running on 95% nitro, because there's only been one in the last 40 odd years, and I stopped running it in 2010.

Donovan motors have a particular sound to them (a more lopey idle than the later 426). Unlike current big show fuel motors, where the fuel pump size and general level of kit mean the sound is sometimes overwhelming (perhaps what you were referring to?), the nostalgia motors with smaller pumps have a much sharper, crisper sound - like all these things though, it has to be experienced in person. No YouTube clip will replicate the real thing.

[Arnold Cunningham]

I don't think it's a supposition - I think it's well known that a single exhaust has a very different sound. In fact, on my BBC motor I'm trying to find a way to squeeze a crossover pipe in to calm the sound a little.

3528 said:

The difference again between the two examples is separate exhausts versus the effective eight-into-one configuration of the outboard motor, which is in line with my supposition.

[RoverP6B]

There seems to be some kind of golden rule that you either need pushrods or big displacement (or both) to make a good V8 sound - the little Daimler 2.5 sounds wonderful, but I find most modern quad-cam V8s in the 3.5 to 5 litre range sound very dull - kind of trebly, metallic and hollow, but not in a good way like a six or V12, the exception must be the Maserati 4.7 (Ferrari motor, bored/stroked out, with a cross-plane crank). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bhoMHypbgA

...and again, with bonus C63 and Corvette goodness... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkv6wphicjg

As for other good-sounding V8s...

This one springs to mind - Phantom Motor Cars' Bentley Turbo R. I don't like turbocharged engines as a rule, but this one simply oozes intent. Menacing as you-know-what. Apparently one of two owned by two brothers by the name of Worthington - anyone know what happened to these? H248CTP hasn't been taxed or MOT'd for several years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLd6oxwYfw4

This Lexus LS400 sounds rather nice too, thanks to its Magnaflow X-pipe exhaust. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10JJg8Xq2qc

And of course you've got to mention a Yank motor. My personal favourite, I think, is the Chevrolet big-block in 454ci form. Any bigger (572, 632 etc) and it tends to get too angry. I like it mellifluous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3G2znF-_jE

The Arabs know a good V8 too. Especially these flame-spitting open-header uphill sand-racing 4x4 monsters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEY49uRW69Q

You can't not mention the AMG M156. Especially the old S204 C63 AMG estates formerly used as F1 medical cars... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVlgw90Ns7c

Even on the road, it's CRAZY loud, as these police-baiting Swedes demonstrate. REAL pops and bangs, not artificially engineered ones (cough Jaguar F-type SVR cough!). Always been amazed how aggressive it sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck3qglEAIr4

The little 2.5 litre Daimler is a peach, proper V8 noise, just in a pocket-size package. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WREafbQWu-s

Sadly, this is the only video I could find of its 4.5-litre big brother... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYqMfFWj_-8

legless said:

I've got a lot of affection for the 3.0 Triumph V8. It's just a really honest, tuneful V8. No silly exhausts, pops or bangs. Just exactly how you'd want a classic V8 to sound.

Yep! It was a piece of junk that really should never have been built to start with, but it did sound jolly nice.

JCollins said:

Ascari A10 (E39 M5 Engine with 2 turbos for good measure)

Really? I was always under the impression it was a really extreme naturally-aspirated S62.

Shiv_P said:

Some people really think 458/488? Imo such a st noise

Agreed. Ditto on the 288GTO and F40. The old 308/348/355/360 motor sounds OK (the 430/458 and Cali-T/488 motors far less so), but I dislike flat-plane-crank V8s intensely as a rule. TVR's 75-degree V8 is just an unmusical blare - unlike the gorgeous Speed Six straight-6. On the other hand, Rover-engined TVRs sound brilliant.

I've had three V8s, and I'd rank mine as follows...

1) My P6 3500S when the exhaust fell off at 6am one Sunday c.1986 - really, REALLY loud. Proper V8 noise.
2) My P6 3500S in normal form
3) My E39 535i (early '98, cable throttle, no VANOS), especially when the cats were worn out. New cats quietened it down.
4) My E39 540i Touring (2001, VANOS, electronic throttle). Not a lot of V8 sound at all except when cold (and then it's so bloody bad-tempered, hunting and vibrating like crazy, it's not happy and I'm always worried it's about to throw a rod, despite the lack of rod-knock or rattle!), crazy how smooth it is when warmed up.

[fttm]

Currently 3 V8's in the garage/drive , they all give me a warm feeling inside when I start them up and listen to the burble , almost on par with twin webers on an old Escort and knowing what lies ahead ,imho .

[classicyanktanks]

Any American v8 over 351 cubic inches.

Even with my stty camera phone this small block 351w (5.8 litres) is sounding hot just ticking along: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v...

The rasp of Italian engines are nice as well. But if you want an animal you need the thud of an American. Modern cars sadly have a lot of bullst that dampens them down.

Edited by classicyanktanks on Wednesday 17th January 07:23