You’ll find AMG’s four-litre, twin-turbocharged petrol V8 in plenty of models in the Mercedes-AMG back-catalogue, but we’ve chosen the G 63 here for one very specific reason. Well, make that four reasons – because it’s the four tailpipes that exit not at the back of the car, but as a pair on each side under the G 63’s chunky running boards.
This makes them all the more audible from the passenger compartment. In any other car that might be a bad thing, but the G 63’s not a car for those wishing to keep a low profile anyway, and easier access to the V8’s thundering, growling soundtrack merely enhances the experience. In a car not known for its cornering prowess, you might as well make the most of it on the straights instead.
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
It sometimes seems like there’s no middle ground between the howl of a high-performance V12 and the near-silence of a luxury model, but if any car bridges that gap, it’s probably the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. Here is a car, and a turbocharged V12 engine, that cruises like a luxury model but has plenty of drama when you’re unleashing its performance.
The DBS ticks all the boxes, from the distinctive chunter of a heavy-duty starter motor spinning all twelve cylinders to life, to a vibrationless idle, and then a barrel-chested, almost V8-like growl as you accelerate hard through the gears. From the outside, there’s a hint of Supermarine Spitfire, embellished by crackles on the overrun. Back off, and you’re back to near-silence – well, tyre roar from the vast rubber aside.
Caterham Seven 420 Cup
There have been some fantastic sounding inline four-cylinder engines in the past, ones that would have deserved to go on this list without question; think high-revving VTECÂ Honda, or an old twin-cam Alfa snorting through a pair of enormous Weber carbs. Most modern four-cylinders are designed to be as meek as possible though, and even the best hot hatch engines have a slightly bland exhaust blare.
Not so the Caterham Seven 420 Cup, whose highly-tuned 2-litre Ford Duratec engine makes more than 100bhp per litre and has little insulation to mask the induction roar. Though you may struggle to hear it over the track-spec exhaust a few inches from your elbow, whose unfiltered growl is punctuated for only the briefest moments as you swap ratios with the Sadev sequential gearbox.
Now read our list of the best sports cars…
