Evenin all.have always dreamt of the big gurgling supercharged V8 somewhere down the line, but how long is it before satellites will impose instant speed fines, insurance will cripple it's owners, and they will become unsaleable, forcing us towards sensibleness. Is all this imminent?
Lovely burbling V8's have been taking a pounding on the second hand market for the last few years, look at the price of the Jag XFR, they can be had for silly money. Having said that, the manufacturers are still making V8's but going smaller capacity with turbo's to bring emissions down and getting higher BHP, amazing stuff. As a petrolhead I will be sad to see the end of the naturally aspirated V8 but I certainly plan to own a few before they are no more.....
I have a 4.3 V8 but it's ever so silent
4.7l v8 Landcruiser here, but that's in Kenya where the cost of repairs from turbo-diesel engines getting shafted by bad/dirty fuel and/or lack of maintenance can end up costing you much more than the increased cost of petrol. Or so I keep telling myself. Big v8s are sweet....
BMW M3 V8 here, one of the last of the normally aspirated screamers before the V6 turbo is inflicted on us in June, we are all doomed I am afraid!
Ive got a 4.4 v8 but is just sounds like a quiet fan and then when you press the loud pedal, it sounds like a loud fan.
Id love it to sound more v8-y but i worry new pipes and whatnot will make it too noisy at motorway cruising speeds
I can't see it happening too soon. The government want the cash from petrol sales and road fund (£400 for my V8!!!) way too much. You could say the green agenda from the government is all talk next to actual revenues.Originally Posted by Jezzer
Andrew
To the OP I think it unlikely that we will all be tracked by satellite for a long time. Black box technology is here as we know, but the political will to go the full big brother route is a step too far for most people. The insurance companies have no particular need to punish big engined V8s any more than high performance turbo screamers. The risk is In the driver/car model history. So go for it, the value of the big engined beasts will continue to plummet due to the perception of high running costs, market sentiment and insurance grouping. If you don't rack up a large mileage get yourself a beast, what could possibly go wrong!
V8 here too - sadly a bit quiet but hey... V8
Personally I would vote for a government that promised to make speeding impossible (rather than prosecuting those who do).
It wouldn't take long to enforce sale of new cars that had GPS linked speed limiters and then subsidise retro-fitting them to older cars. The remaining ones that couldn't be fitted would have to have GPS tracking and stricter controls.
I reckon 5 - 10 years and then the only people able to speed would be the authorities and criminals (thus instantly marking them for arrest).
I wouldn't LIKE it but as a safety measure and for traffic management it would be very effective.
I would lament the ability to go "quickly" on appropriate roads in the right conditions as well (maybe variable speed limits depending on time, traffic, visibility, weather?).
Cheers
The father in law has an xfr. Cost him £60 odd thousand 4 years ago. Probaly only worth 20ish now. He just uses it in the summer now and for long journeys-a complete waste of a great car.
A 5.3ltr V8 in a (discretely, heavily modified) Range Rover for me. It sounds a little more 'meaty' than the standard Range Rover offering thanks to an after-market stainless steel exhaust (which wasn't bought for this reason but because it was cheaper than an OEM mild steel item and had a lifetime guarantee). It would be a great shame to see the end of large, naturally aspirated V8s and I don't believe we will, though they may become even more of a niche.
I don't believe that speed limiters that limit cars to the speed limit will ever be implemented as they would be dangerous in certain circumstances and the public backlash would be huge. If they were GPS based (and with the current GPS system) it would be relatively easy for criminals to bring your car to a complete halt.
Really fancy a V8 myself too, and also wondering how long it will be before they are legislated out.
Currently thinking about a VXR8 though also have a TVR itch I'd like to scratch and hanker a little after a Chimera.
Conversely I think that is a horrible idea and I wouldn't vote for a Government that imposed GPS speed limiters as I think as the driver should remain in control of the car as much as possible.
-- Disclaimer - I am not suggesting that is right to speed or that driving in excess of the speed limits is always safe --
Firstly I don't think GPS is accurate enough - look at a tomtom or equivalent when two roads pass near each other and the confusion as to which you are on - I can just imagine a car slamming on the brakes as a bypass parallels a 20mph residential zone for a stretch or the potential havoc at a big interchange.
Secondly judgement of speed should be the driver's responsibility. Speed should be appropriate to the conditions - way below any limit if it is very wet or icy etc. Taking more control away from the driver is just going to breed a generation or morons on the road who drive around with their foot flat on the floor, paying no attention to their speed (appropriate or otherwise) and just letting the car get on with it.
Thirdly in some cases the ability to be able to speed briefly can be a useful safety measure say if it is necessary to get out of the way of something - maybe completing an overtake quickly if something unexpected happens. Or maybe getting away from someone driving dangerously. Or in an emergency to get someone to a hospital.
Finally, where would it end? Auto braking? Auto steering?
Why not remove the driver from the equation altogether? If people can't be trusted behind the wheel, ban all of them and build robots to do it. We're not far off being able to do that.
I get very tired of people going on about speed as a safety measure. Short of banning all drivers or making them drive around at 5mph following a man with a flag there are always going to be incidents. Due care and attention and driver training should be the focus not speed, speed, speed. People should drive appropriately to the conditions. Absolute speed is not dangerous, excessive speed for the situation is.
Buy it, enjoy it. When the insurance prices you off the road, put it on the track and go racing / track days with it.
Likewise - current C63 AMG owner here with 6.2L naturally aspirated V8 - the new C class AMG will have a twin turbo 4L V8.
Last edited by amii21; 14th January 2014 at 22:37.
I presently drive a 5.5L supercharged AMG and test drove a 6.3L naturally aspirated AMG jeep this afternoon, I know where I'm going next…it blew the 4.8S Cayenne away that I drove a few days ago.
ML63 or CL63 next I think.
I'll be buying them for a few years yet.
C.
After I get back from holiday this spring, I plan on selling my completely sensible, does everything I need it to, 50mpg on a run, economical Volvo C70 and replacing it with a 5.7 or 6.0 Monaro. My rationale for doing this is that v8's are on the endangered species list and will only ever get harder to own and run. No time like the present, plus they are an absolute bargain in real terms. Buy the right one and all it will really cost you is fuel and tyres ;o)
V8 here as well, and a very pleasant sounding one too.
Bought for a reasonable price over 12 months ago although the close-to-£500-per-annum road tax will be due soon. :-(
On the plus side, the car isn't depreciating too much so the extra couple of hundred pounds on road tax isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.
Go go for it. :-)
4.3 V8 here and ever so quiet - I have had four preceded by 3.0 V6's
Ya can't beat cubes
B
I just bought this 5.7L V8.
V8 petrol Grand Cherokee, Borla cat back exhaust, Cool air intake , LOADS of other mods, it's fun to turn key with anyone stood near back, I have to carry a shovel. And most of the boy racers pull amazing expressions in the mirror. They don't understand what happened to them LOL. My best V8 had to be a corvette with twin side pipes down and out under the door sills, It still rings in my ears now!
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