German automakers produce some of the best cars on sale past and present, with a massively impressive back-catalog of really awesome vehicles. Some of the greatest German cars have featured interesting engine configurations – from inline-5s to W6s, V10s, and even V12s. However, the coolest of all the configurations is without a doubt the V8.The V8 has come a long way since Léon Levavasseur created the Antoinette in 1904 – from Ford and Cadillac fitting their versions in their cars, to the first German automobile application in the form of the Stoewer Greif V8 in 1934. The big three German manufacturers only started using V8s in the 1950s and 1960s, and since then, the V8 has become a regular engine choice for higher-end luxury and performance-orientated models.From the BMW OHV V8 in 1954, the Mercedes-Benz M100 in 1963, the Porsche M28 in 1978, and the Audi V8 in 1988, to the modern-day giants such as the Mercedes-AMG M177, BMW S63, and the VW Group’s 4.0-liter TFSI – here are the coolest German V8-powered cars ever made.
10 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT
The Porsche Cayenne was the legendary German marque’s first expedition into the world of sporty SUVs. The original Cayenne Turbo S produced 515 hp from a twin-turbocharged 4.5-liter V8, with an updated version producing 550 hp from a 4.8-liter. The second-generation kept the 4.8-liter twin-turbo but upped the power of the Turbo S to 562 hp. Finally, Porsche introduced the Cayenne Coupé to compete against the Audi Q8 and BMW X6.
The Cayenne Turbo S Coupé e-Hybrid didn’t quite make it against the Lamborghini Urus, so Porsche’s special vehicles division created the Cayenne Turbo GT, the quickest super SUV currently on sale. The Turbo GT has 631 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, produced by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. This is the same engine as the Urus, but it officially produces 10 hp less – but going with Porsche’s underrating history, it probably produces much more.
9 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204)
The W204 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is one of the coolest cars to come out of the Stuttgart. It featured the first-ever AMG-designed and built engine, the M156, in all its 6.2-liter V8 glory. The stock engine produced 450 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, making it an absolute monster compared to the BMW E92 M3 and Audi B7 RS4.
The C63 AMG was a muscle car in every sense of the word – massive V8 up front and an automatic transmission delivering power to the rear, resulting in the inevitable shredding of tires. It is a great car and thanks to the natural aspiration and heavy-duty components, the W204 C63 is a relatively reliable car. Before buying second-hand, just make sure that the original camshafts and valve lifters were changed to avoid premature wear.
8 Audi RS5 (8T3)
The 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 in the Audi RS5 is a piece of art. The engine produces 444 hp and 317 lb-ft – a bit down on torque – and makes one intoxicating noise. The reason for this is probably because the 4.2-liter found in a variety of Audi products in the 2010s, was actually based on the 5.0-liter V10 produced for the RS6 and R8 – only with two cylinders chopped off.
The RS5 is one of those brilliant cars of the 2010s without turbochargers, rev-limiters, and particulate filters to dampen the sound of the engine. The lower-spec S5 also features the V8, however for some markets, Audi replaced the V8 with a supercharged V6, producing less power and making a duller sound. It’s sad then that the current RS5 has a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, making hardly any sound at all.
7 BMW M3 (E92)
The E92 BMW M3 was technically the second M3 to be fitted with a V8, but it was the first one to be made available to the general public. It had a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8, producing 414 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, with a redline of an astonishing 8,400 rpm. This was higher than Audi’s 4.2-liter V8 and much higher than Mercedes’ 6.2-liter V8.
The BMW M3 E9X range of cars has been called by many automotive publications as “one of the most complete cars ever”. It is still a massively desired car, especially in this time where everything is turbocharged and dampened with emissions regulations and fuel-economy restrictions. Instead, the M3 screams down the road all the way to the redline, changing gear and starting the whole process again.
6 RUF RGT-8
The RUF RGT-8 started out life as a Porsche 911, before being pulled apart and reassembled with more interesting bits. The most interesting of said parts is the 4.5-liter V8 – yes, a V8 in a 911. The RGT-8 produced 445 hp when it was introduced in 2005, with the updated 2012 version getting 542 hp.
The RUF V8 features a flat-plane crankshaft to make it sound a bit like a Ferrari higher up in the rev range. It also has more racecar-related upgrades to help it stand out from the crowd. Whilst this all sounds pretty cool – and it is – there is a rather large premium that needs to be paid for a factory V8 911. The cost of the RUF RGT-8 is around $230,000, and that excludes the price of the 911 donor car, which is at least another $100,000 – quite expensive then.
5 Audi RS6 Avant (C7)
The Audi RS6 Avant is a car for someone who enjoys spending time with the family, having picnics and looking up at the clouds – whilst at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the German F1 Grand Prix. The RS6 has been the ultimate family-hauler since the C5 in 2002. It used a twin-turbo version of the 4.2-liter V8, producing 450 hp and 428 lb.ft of torque – a lot for a station wagon of the time. The C6, the successor to the C5, went a step further and was fitted with a 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V10, producing an astronomical 571 hp.
The C7 RS6 went a slightly more practical route and was fitted with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, co-developed by Porsche, and produced 553 hp and 516 lb-ft – a bit less than the ridiculous V10. Power still went to all four wheels through Audi’s famous Quattro system, and the car had an 8-speed semi-automatic transmission.
4 BMW 507 Roadster
The BMW 507 was a roadster produced between 1956 and 1960. The 507 was fitted with a 3.2-liter V8, producing 150 horsepower, mated to a 4-speed manual transmission. The car could do the 0-62 mph sprint in 11 seconds and had a top speed of 122 mph, and was initially designed to be a less expensive alternative to Mercedes’ 300SL.
The coolest thing about the 507 is definitely how it looks – a gorgeous blend of German design and engineering. Unfortunately, high production costs led to the 507 selling for above the intended price, resulting in only 252 units being manufactured – instead of the 5,000 per year. The project cost BMW a ridiculous amount of money; however, the 507 was owned by some rather famous individuals – most notably Elvis Presley.
3 Porsche 928
The 928 was originally intended to replace Porsche’s 911 as the flagship car, but this never happened. The 928 was introduced in 1978 and was the first V8-powered car in Porsche’s history, as well as the only front-engined V8 coupé. The first iteration of the 928 was fitted with a 4.5-liter, producing 240 hp, which was upgraded to a 4.7-liter, 5.0-liter, and finally a 5.4-liter with 345 hp in the 1995 928 GTS model.
The 928 is one of the coolest German V8 cars due to its relentless speed and superb build quality. The 928 was the fastest naturally aspirated car in the world at the time of production, with a 928 S achieving a 180 mph top speed at VW’s famed Nardo Speed Ring. Just to add to the coolness factor of the 928, it featured in many Hollywood films and was bought by many famous people.
2 BMW M5 CS (F90)
The current generation of the BMW M5 is the fastest and most powerful ever produced. BMW decided to take this claim even further and created the M5 CS, a specialized version of the M5 Competition. It has the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 as the normal M5, but it produces a massive 626 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.
These claimed power figures are all well and good; however, a dyno testing of the M5 Competition showed that it almost produces its claimed figures at the wheels, leading to the speculation that the car produces much more power and torque than BMW claims. The M5 CS has since become the fastest BMW for sale, with a limited top speed of 190 mph.
1 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a car as beautiful and as elegant as it is powerful and brutish. The SLS AMG was the first car designed solely by AMG, sold only in AMG trim. It only had one engine choice, also entirely designed and built by AMG – the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8. Instead of the M156 engine number, the V8 had in every other application, the SLS’ V8 was named the M159 as AMG changed so many aspects, that it needed a new name.
The SLS’s design was based on the 300SL from the 1950s, but modernized and improved upon. The V8 initially produced 563 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque but was upgraded to 622 hp, making it the most powerful naturally aspirated production V8 engine – until the upcoming Chevy Corvette C8 Z06. The SLS AMG truly is one of the coolest German V8-powered cars – if not one of the greatest cars ever.