10 Underrated V-8 Sports Cars You Need to Know About In 2023

Long live the V-8! Nothing says sports car like a well-tuned engine. For decades both drivers and manufacturers have relied on the V-8 architecture to bring the sportiest versions of sports cars to the road. From the noise they make to the punchy power delivery, nothing can compare, as they exhibit characteristics all their own. For decades the V-8 engine was the best way manufacturers could make high amounts of horsepower while still being able to package the engine in a relatively efficient manner. Forced induction didn’t become efficient enough to be an actual viable replacement for displacement until around the 2000s.

As the options for old-fashioned V-8 sports cars dwindle for good, there are still mighty impressive examples of the classic recipe that made so many fall in love with the idea of a sports car in the first place. Many of these cars became famous for the very reason that they are equipped with a V-8 engine. Entire sub-cultures, racing, and street styles have been created around them. The beauty of living in 2023 is that the V-8 isn’t dead yet, there are still plenty of options in all price points. Here are some examples you might want to consider when having your midlife crisis moment and absolutely need a V-8 in your life.

RELATED: The Forgotten V-8 Sports Car That Has An Edge Over The Competition

10 Lexus LC500

0-60 MPH: 4.7 seconds

When the Lexus LC500 jumped onto the scene in 2018 nobody expected it to run circles around the then new Aston Martin DB11, a car that costs about $100,000 more. As it turns out, it did, proving Lexus still has what it takes to aim their efforts at any segment and execute a less costly, but technically better product.

Performance

Sure the LC concept looked the part, and the production version stunned the world with is styling being a near mirror of the concept, a goal not often attained in the industry. It might use the same 5.0-liter V-8 as other Lexus products, but this car is about much more than the sum of its parts. The sound it makes with a specially tuned exhaust is monstrous, so don’t sleep on the LC500.

9 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance

0-60 MPH: 4.3 seconds

Underrated is an understatement. Equipped with the insanely beefy sounding 5.0-liter V-8 found in both the RCF and LC500, the IS500 brings a sleeper attitude to Lexus’ smallest sedan. If it weren’t for its quad exhaust tips, and the throaty noises that come out of them, you’d never know what monster lurked beneath the hood.

Performance

The IS500 F Sport Performance might have a complicated name, but there’s nothing overly complicated about a classic recipe of a front engine/rear-wheel-drive V-8 sports sedan. Flying under the radar, while leaving passersby dumbfounded by how a Lexus IS just whooped a Porsche Panamera between stoplights.

8 Lexus RCF

0-60 MPH: 3.9 seconds

It might not have received the best reviews, but the fact still remains that if you want a semi-exotic sporty car with a star of a V-8 engine, the Lexus RCF is a strong contender. Where others have turned to forced induction, and downsized engines, Lexus soldiers on with their 5.0-liter V-8.

Performance

The RCF puts out 472 horsepower and starts at $68,195 making it just a few thousand dollars more expensive than the comparable BMW M2, which does not possess eight cylinders and puts out fewer horsepower. Not to mention, Lexus in general and especially their V-8s tend to be extremely reliable, and typically cost less to maintain than competitors. If you want a muscle car, but appreciate JDM sports cars, the Lexus RCF should definitely be on your list.

RELATED: The Forgotten Compact Sports Sedan That Still Packs A V-8 Under The Hood

7 Mercedes-AMG SL55

0-60 MPH: 3.6 seconds

The C63 and E63 may be going all-in on four-cylinder hybrid tech, but not the SL. Some things are in fact sacred, and Mercedes-AMG has decided to do the right thing and save the V-8 for the SL in the form of the SL55 and SL63 models.

Performance

So many drivers are obsessed with the “63” moniker, it’s refreshing to see Mercedes-AMG bring back the classic, “55” name bringing back memories of Mercedes SL high points. As it turns out, the SL55 uses the same 4.0-liter V-8 as the SL63 model. It might be down 24 horsepower from the last SL55 we saw from AMG, but this new one sprints to 60 miles per hour a full second quicker.

6 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing

0-60 MPH: 3.6 seconds

Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Cadillac is set on destroying the stereotype of it being an old person’s brand. The Blackwing models certainly help achieve that by injecting some youth in their lineup. Designed, engineered, and built by teams of motorsport-minded individuals, the CT5-V Blackwing is bordering on the line of supercar with its 668 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 right out of the last generation Corvette Z06.

Performance

The Camaro ZL1 still features this engine and both of those cars never made as much power as the Cadillac. As a sedan, it might be easy to dismiss the big Caddy as just another speedy straight-liner, but underneath the skin is GM’s wonderfully engineered “Alpha” chassis, one that has proven itself over and over at the track in various forms.

5 Jaguar F-Type R

0-60 MPH: 3.5 seconds

Jaguar is giving us one model year to say goodbye to one of the most rambunctious sports cars ever made. This is Britain’s muscle car. The original “Hellcat”, perhaps. As Jaguar transitions into an all-electric brand by 2025, we say goodbye to both the F-Type and its ridiculously entertaining 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 as well. The F-Type R was one of the rowdiest V-8-powered sports cars available.

Performance

Early R and SVR models were especially spicy. So much that Jaguar felt obligated to tone things down for the refreshed model. Now though we only get the R model with its less crackle-tuned exhaust. Jaguar didn’t detune the 5.0-liter V-8 though. The R now makes the same 575 horsepower as the outgoing SVR model did, making this new version a bit of an underrated brute.

RELATED: Here’s A V-8 Sports Car You Probably Forgot But Is Still Worth Considering

4 Aston Martin DB12

0-60 MPH: 3.5 seconds

Mercedes-Benz may be giving up on its V-8 sports cars, but Aston Martin is keeping the faith by utilizing the ever-popular Mercedes-AMG M178 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. Some may be disappointed to hear that Aston Martin doesn’t currently have plans to install a V-12 under the hood of the car that is literally named, “DB12”, but make no mistake, the V-8 does more than a fair job at making the new car Aston is calling a, “Super Tourer” unbelievably speedy.

Performance

DB12’s styling isn’t subtle, and in fact it looks fairly racy, but it isn’t until it reveals its capability (just check the specs) that you realize a sports car really is about the sum of its parts, and that eight cylinders can impress just as much as 12.

3 Audi S8

0-60 MPH: 3.2 seconds

Audi remains king of the subtle super sedans. The S8 might be one of the most underrated sports cars on the market. With understated styling and a relatively quiet exhaust note, you might not even realize the S8 was V-8 powered, at least not until you experience the unbelievable thrust to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds.

Performance

That’s McLaren F1 quick in a full-size luxury barge. It’s a choice often overlooked, but an option Audi continues to offer nonetheless.

2 Audi RS7

0-60 MPH: 3.0 seconds

The Audi RS6 Avant gets all the attention nowadays, especially in the USA since we were finally allowed to savor a 621 horsepower bite of the forbidden fruit. Let us not forget though the one that brought Audi into the German hot-vee, turbocharged V-8 horsepower war, the RS7. An all-new model back in 2014, the RS7 was the car that gave Audi some real firepower against its neighbors and, frankly, the world.

Performance

With all the wagon hype, and the RS6 Avant stealing the spotlight, some forget the RS7 even exists, but alas, Audi still offers it with the exact same powertrain as the more popular RS6 Avant. The RS7 might now seem stylistically underrated, but 621 horsepower in “performance” guise is no laughing matter.

RELATED: The Most Underrated V-8-Powered Sports Car Of 2023

1 BMW M8 Competition

0-60 MPH: 2.5 seconds

When the BMW 8-Series and M8 arrived on the scene, both received relatively positive feedback, and rightfully so. The M8 Competition, particularly with the carbon-ceramic brake kit is a force to be reckoned with. The 617 (advertised) horsepower, hot-vee V-8 engine feels stronger than BMW leads on, and even with all-wheel-drive, you get the sense the tires are clawing at the road at all times trying to get as much power to the ground as physically possible.

Performance

It’s not a light car but the powerful V-8 helps M8 mask speed in a breathtaking way. The M8 seems like a platform that is too heavy to feature a “Competition” badge, but its capability gives the car a shrink-around-you character. Don’t overlook the BMW M8, especially the Competition model.