An eight-cylinder piston engine with two banks of four cylinders sharing a single crankshaft and arranged in a V shape is known as a V8 engine. The American 1914–1935 Cadillac L-Head engine is regarded as the first automotive V8 engine to have been produced in substantial quantities, while the French manufacturer Antoinette created the first known functioning V8 engine in 1904. After the Ford Flathead V8 was introduced in 1932, the popularity of V8 engines in automobiles significantly rose. That is of course until today’s modern time. Since the mid 2000s, the use of V8 engines has been on the decline. Here are our top 5 eight-cylinder engines of all-time for you to enjoy.
Ford 5.0L Coyote V8 Engine
The 5.0L Coyote V8 engine was largely anticipated when it was first released in the 2011 model year. It was and still is considered an evolutionary development of Ford’s Modular V8 engine. Ford was coming off the back end of both GM and Chrysler launching powerful revisions of their V8 engines that were crushing Ford in the market. In order to utilize the existing Modular production line tooling, Ford decided to get to work on their Modular engine and the 5.0L Coyote was born. Instead of thickening the walls, webbing was extensively used as reinforcement in the casting to strengthen the block sufficiently to withstand greater output. To accommodate the height restriction, the intake plenum was also positioned low between the two-cylinder banks; as a result, the alternator, which is typically located low and in the middle, was shifted to the side of the engine. Depending on the variant you get, it produces a minimum of 360 horsepower and 380lb feet of torque.
Dodge HEMI 5.7L V8 Engine
The HEMI engine is simply legendary since it was first launched in 1951 and it has simply become better as time has gone on. For the purpose of this guide, we are looking at the 5.7L HEMI engine which is considered the third generation of the HEMI. It was first produced in 2003 and production continues onto this day. In order to compliment the Magnum 5.9 engine in the Dodge Ram pickup trucks, the 5.7 L HEMI engine was introduced for model year 2003. It was the only gasoline engine offered for the Ram Heavy Duty as of 2004. In the following years, Chrysler added the 5.7 L Hemi to all trim levels of the 2004 Dodge Ram, Dodge Durango, 2005 Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum R/T, Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2006 Dodge Charger R/T, Jeep Commander, 2007 Chrysler Aspen, 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer. Cylinder deactivation is not included for manual gearbox applications (Challenger and 3/4- and 1-ton Ram pickups). Depending on the model and model year, you can expect anywhere from 345 horsepower and 375lb feet of torque, and up.
General Motors LS Series V8 Engine
First produced in 1997, the LS Series by General Motors has become one of the greatest engines ever made, not just factoring in V8 engines. The third and fourth generation small-block V8 gasoline engines used in General Motors cars are commonly referred to as “LS engines.” The term “Small Block Chevrolet” originated from the necessity to distinguish the Gen 3/Gen 4 small blocks from the original Gen 1/Gen 2 small blocks introduced in 1954. The “LS” moniker comes from the RPO code of the LS1, the first Gen 3 small block engine that was debuted in the 1997 Corvette. Depending on the model and model year, you can expect anywhere from 255 horsepower and 285lb feet of torque and up.
Mercedes-AMG M178 AMG GTR Engine
The Mercedes-AMG M178 AMG GTR Engine is one of the newest V8 engines on this list with it being released in 2015. Two BorgWarner turbochargers are installed in the engine in a “hot-V” configuration, sandwiched between the two-cylinder heads. Five squirts of gasoline are delivered by the new Bosch piezo-electric direct fuel injectors, which are used in the fuel injection system. At the Untertürkheim production facility west of Stuttgart, the M176 engines are primarily constructed by machines with a few components being assembled by technicians. At the AMG manufacturing facility in Affalterbach, technicians individually construct the M177 and M178 following the “one man, one engine” approach. The second version in the series, the M178, is designed for motorsport and increased performance. The Mercedes-AMG GT launched 463 horsepower and 503 horsepower variants.
Toyota 3UR-FE V8 Engine
When Toyota needed a new truck motor to promote the new Toyota Tundra in 2007, they made the 3UR-FE. The 3UR-FE is a 5.7-liter engine featuring Dual VVT-i instead of D-4S gasoline direct injection that is intended for use in the Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and Lexus LX570 cars. It generated 381 horsepower and 543 lb feet of torque. It was of course based on the previous generation UR engine, which itself replaced the old UZ series engines. The 2007 Lexus LS’s 1UR-FSE engine with D4-S direct injection was the first one to go into production. With an aluminium engine block, aluminium heads, and magnesium cylinder head coverings, the series debuted. Variable valve timing, often known as Dual VVT-i, is present in all UR engines for the intake and exhaust cams. The camshafts are propelled by timing chains. It has quickly become regarded as one of the best V8 engines made by Toyota and it has been well documented for its reliability.
Happy motoring!
