One of the best sounds for us automotive enthusiasts in our youth was a powerful V8 engine rumbling down the road. You felt it in your bones, with that massive horsepower and throaty exhaust tuning.
The V8 was introduced in a French vehicle in 1904 and initially started as an engine for boats and later airplanes. The first American automotive V8 was built by Cadillac in 1914.
The benefit of the V8 was reduced vibrations for a smoother ride.
Today, the automotive V8 engine is fading into oblivion for passenger vehicles. Race cars still rely on the V8, but they also may disappear eventually with the onset of EV racing.
Turbocharged four-cylinders and twin-turbocharged V6s are the staple for gas engines these days. And even those are becoming dying breeds with the introduction of hybrids and EVs.
Can you still get a V8-powered vehicle today? Yes, but your options are extremely limited.
Lexus has announced its last V8 production vehicle this year, with the LC 500 going away. And believe it or not, Honda has never produced a V8 production vehicle for sale.
That leaves only eight marques offering V8s for 2026: three sports cars, two SUVs, and three pickup trucks.
For muscle cars, the Ford Mustang GT and Chevrolet Corvette continue to offer V8 engines. Ford and Chevy depend on these engines to keep their enthusiast owners loyal. Both manufacturers have vowed that these V8s will remain in their stable for the foreseeable future.
Cadillac is keeping a V8 in its CT5-V Blackwing, the last V8-powered sport sedan for sale. Next are the SUVs: the Dodge Durango and the Land Rover SV/Range Rover Sport SV.
The final three belong to the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC twin Sierra pickups, and, of course, the Ford F-150 and its high-performance F-150 Raptor R variant.
Technology will continue to drive the automotive market, and a desire to improve the environment simultaneously is a win for everyone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mourn the passage of our youth. So goodbye V8; we’ll miss you.
