Roomy V8s for bargain hunters | Six of the Best
Want eight cylinders upfront but still with room for chums in the back? We gots you
Jaguar XJR, 2015, 65k, £26,950
If you’re anything like us (and dollars to doughnuts, you are), then the thought of a cheap V8 usually coincides with a sports car shaped like a bullet that requires you to fold yourself in half to access. But precious few of us ever get to run a proper two-seater, especially one that drinks like a village priest. Most of us need back seats and a big boot to get through life. Happily, the secondhand market is awash with options that combine lusty displacement with lots of practicality. Case in point: the old XJR, a car with five litres of supercharged charm and sufficient space to swallow a five-a-side team. Moreover, all the things that were less than brilliant about Jaguar’s flagship now seem completely inconsequential when it can be bought for a tenner less than £27k. You get the picture. Onward.
Mercedes C63 AMG Edition 507, 2014, 50k, £33,990
If you’re inclined to look at the XJR and think, ‘well, yes, but I’m not 55 and don’t own driving gloves’, then rest assured, there is still plenty to choose from. Turning V8-powered saloon cars into V8-powered coupes was a favourite pastime of German carmakers ten years ago, and while there are quicker-to-turn options than the C63, very few rival the 6.2-litre motor under its bonnet for fiery pomp and circumstance. This one, in Obsidian black looks very nice and has only covered 50k. Better yet, you can buy it for the price of a much less interesting used hot hatch. Trust us when we say that you will not tire of pushing down on the accelerator pedal for at least the rest of your life. And by then, your grandchildren, agog with the sound of 2014, will be angling to inherit the thing.
Audi RS6, 2004, 79k, PH Auction
Yes, Layer Cake. And maybe there is nothing that speaks to the rightness of a fast, practical car more succinctly than the sight of four big lads in one, surging from a London mews. Either way, the C5 still looks a million bucks - especially in grey, and absolutely when it’s been lowered onto Bilstein springs. Don’t underrate the old 4.2-litre V8 either, which was another product of Audi’s brief working relationship with Cosworth. This one, already attracting bids ahead of the hammer falling next Thursday, is said to develop more than 500hp thanks to a stage 1 remap and therefore ought to easily live up to its burly reputation for speed even 20 years after it was launched. In many ways, the most handsome car here - but certainly not the most expensive, we’ll warrant.
Ford Mustang GT, 2015, 28k, £29,995
Affordable V8 welly has been the Mustang’s raison d’être for 60 years, and our American cousins never scrimp on available space. Also, while models like the Dark Horse now list at £70,000, the first right-hand-drive S550s arrived here costing from less than half that. Yes, really. So it was true to the Mustang ethos, and delivered an authentic muscle car driving experience as well, dominated by the mighty Coyote 5.0 V8 - there really is little to put a smile on your face in everyday driving like a Mustang. This one ought to make that grin even broader, thanks to extensive exhaust upgrades. And if £30k seems a lot given that launch price, bear in mind that there’s not a RHD 5.0 manual in the classifieds for less than £25,000; an attainable V8 that holds its money sounds like the PH holy grail…
Vauxhall VXR8, 2009, 56k, £18,995
For years, the Vauxhall-badged Holdens offered up oodles of V8 charm for not very much money. So those keen on that sort of thing - us lot, basically - lapped them up. It was hard to care very much about any ride and handling advantages offered up by European alternatives when Monaros and VXR8s offered up so much engine, practicality and silliness for so much less money. The 5.7 Monaro launched at £28,650; by the time the VXR8 saloon came along in 2007, it was just £35k - truly an incredible time for V8 VFM. And while values have shored up of late, a smart VXR8 like this one, complete with low miles, a sports exhaust and full service history, can still be yours for less than £20,000. With cars like this now consigned to the past, the Holden hot rods aren’t likely to depreciate again. Time to see what all the fuss is about?
BMW M6 Gran Coupe, 2015, 47k, £27,995
Remember when BMW made great-looking V8 flagships? It really wasn’t long ago, as proven by this glorious M6 Gran Coupe. On paper, it didn’t make much sense: the equivalent M5 was just as powerful, similarly specced, and a whole lot cheaper. But the saloon was pretty plain; the GC had the chiselled good looks of a movie star, suave and sophisticated yet bristling with attitude as well. There really haven’t been many, if any, more attractive modern BMWs; even the M8 Gran Coupe that replaced this wasn’t quite as stylish. Plus there are all the good bits of this M5 era, including the 4.4 twin-turbo V8 that always felt more potent than claimed, a dual-clutch that can still shame later autos, and an interior fit for a car, not an arcade. With a CarPlay upgrade as well, an M6 Gran Coupe could be a dream daily driver for a long while yet - all for Mini money.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19403723
Sound is embedded in humans hence why these engines resonate
Know what you mean about nostalgia, seeing the new Nokia or Ericsson a few decades back was exciting even although the current phones are so usable and powerful.
And every week there is a Jag that isn't appealing.
Anyway, it's a bit of weekly banter.
C63 for me from this lot, looks fantastic.
I loved my 550, pressing that start button never got old.
Sure I paid for the noise, sure I could have bought a 535d and remapped it.
But who cares, I have always bought with my limited funds with my heart.
Out of that lot, as much as I love the Mustang it would be the Jag, that was always going to be my next car, until it wasn’t as I have been without a car for two years now.
And every week there is a Jag that isn't appealing.
Anyway, it's a bit of weekly banter.
C63 for me from this lot, looks fantastic.
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