Over the years, engines have come in various sizes and layouts, but arguably none have a flair for the dramatic like a V-10 does. We had a solid run of V-10-powered cars from the early ’90s to the end of the 2010s. In today’s climate, a V-10 doesn’t make much sense, as there are far more advanced and efficient powertrains to choose from, making similar or better power. But there will always be room in the enthusiast's heart for big displacement, natural aspiration, smooth power, and the ungodly caterwaul of a 10-cylinder engine note. Here are 10 of our favorite V-10 cars ever built.
A mere 20 years ago, it really did seem like we were in the midst of enjoying the golden age of V-10 cars. Ten-cylinder engines found their way into trucks, vans, coupes, sedans — even a wagon. But as 2024 winds down, we must sunset these glorious engines.
The last two production cars to still offer a V-10 are the Audi R8, which officially ended production earlier this year, and the Lamborghini Huracán, whose production is set to end sometime soon. Hell,the Huracán's successor has already been named, and that car, the Temerario, makes do with a twin-turbo plug-in hybrid 4.0-liter V-8. When the Huracán is officially dead, it will spell the end for V-10-powered production cars.
Even when large-displacement engines were in vogue and hybridization technology wasn’t as good as it is today, a V-10 engine in a road car (outside of trucks and vans, like Fords equipped with the Triton V-10) was a rather fringe thing. Engineers and automakers preferred to lean on either V-8s or V-12s to make big-time power. That’s because V-10s, which are essentially two inline-fives, are inherently more imbalanced than either eight- or twelve-cylinder motors. To offset that extra vibration, they require far more external balancing in order to be considered tolerable. More external balancing hardware means added weight and complexity — you can see how most would prefer to abandon the entire endeavor in favor of something less high-maintenance.
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But those who persevered gifted us some of the greatest (and greatest-sounding) cars ever made.
People have been tooling around with V-10s for decades, but the first production V-10 appeared in the Dodge Viper toward the end of 1991. It’s a common misconception that the Viper used the truck engine that would appear in 1994 Ram pickups; instead, the sports car got a Lamborghini-built aluminum unit mated to a six-speed manual. Creature comforts basically stopped there, as frivolous add-ons like a roof, side windows, anti-lock brakes, stability control and air conditioning were simply omitted. The Viper nameplate carried on from 1991 until production ended in 2017. No successor has arrived since.
The 1991 Viper started at around $52,000, which is roughly $122,000 in today’s money. At auction on Bring a Trailer, first-gen Vipers now typically go for around $40,000.
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Back before “diesel Volkswagen” became a dirty phrase, the German automaker was all in on its TDI diesel rollout. That included the original Touareg, which was the first application of its then-new V-10 diesel engine. Expensive and over-engineered, the V-10 Touareg was short-lived, as emissions regulations killed it off after a relatively short run. Plus, it could only be sold in mostof the 50 states, so, all in all, the thing proved to be more trouble than it was worth. We enjoyed its waves of torque and smooth power delivery, but there’s no way this engine could have survived.
The V-10 Touareg started at around $60,000 (approximately $107,000 in 2024 money). Today, they look to be selling at around $10,000. For the novelty alone, would you?
It's always sillier when you put unexpected engines in unsuspecting body styles. There’s no clearer example of this than the Dodge Ram SRT-10. With a Viper’s heart, it was built with the earlier Ford Lightning directly in its crosshairs. True, there have been V-10-powered Ford pickups in the past (remember the Triton?!), but not ones meant exclusively for performance. A purpose-built hot rod, the SRT-10 could burn rubber, but also carry six people, haul groceries, and tow up to 7,500 pounds of whatever you wanted. They say you can’t have it all, but this power pickup begged to differ.
At launch, Dodge priced the Ram SRT-10 to start at $45,000. In today’s dollars, that’s about $77,000. That’s about how much a new Ford Raptor costs. On the used market, these V-10-powered trucks go for about $27,000.
Nothing like the Gallardo had ever been seen before. Dubbed the “baby Lambo,” it was Lamborghini’s way of bringing a so-called “more affordable” supercar to more buyers. Volume sales were the goal, but it didn’t mean the Gallardo’s designers and engineers compromised. A lovingly angular mid-engine supercar, the Gallardo’s calling card was its fabulously sonorous V-10. From a company that made its name building V-12 supercars, this was a breath of fresh air. It was unlike anything anyone in Maranello was doing, then or now. Technically, the Huracán is the Gallardo’s successor, but it sort of feels like just a continuation of the first great idea. In that sense, the Gallardo’s lineage has spanned for 20 years. You can read our First Drive here. It’s a good one.
The first Gallardo was priced starting at $165,900, which is about $283,000 today. Presently, you can get them for just about $100,000.
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There is perhaps no greater nor more notorious car in Porsche’s history than the venerable Carrera GT. The fastest and most technically advanced street car the automaker had ever produced to that point, the Carrera GT has only gotten more valuable and sought-after today. It had creature comforts like a glovebox and a Bose audio system, but it was essentially a race car for the road. And it was a manual, with the shift knob placed in its now-iconic high position, right next to the steering wheel. The only downside — besides its sky-high cost — was the fact that most people don’t live near places where you can truly drive it flat-out, like it was meant to be driven.
Prices started at $440,000, which is about $740,000 today. When you consider how contemporary halo supercars are priced easily over $1 million, the Carrera GT’s starting sticker in 2004 was actually reasonable for what you were getting. Of course, the cars regularly go for between $1.3 and $2 million at auction today, so if you missed out then, you’ll probably miss out now.
By the time the 2006 BWM M5 arrived, V-10s had already found themselves in sport coupes, pickup trucks and supercars. So why not a sedan — one of the ultimate sleeper sedans ever made? With an engine inspired by BMW’s Formula 1 program, the E60-generation M5 wowed the world when it came out, for a variety of reasons. First, the engine (duh). With an 8,250-rpm redline, it encouraged drivers to rev the snot out of it and listen to it scream. But it also gave the driver the ability to calibrate just about everything about its tactile feedback, and it had the world’s first sequential manual transmission with seven forward gears. Later on, the M5 would be equipped with a six-speed manual, but the engine always felt like it was geared for seven. Though the Bangle-designed 5 Series was controversial at the time, it’s aged pretty gracefully.
Special mention here for the BMW M6, which used the same engine in a coupe body. Of the two, the M5 is the cooler and more practical one, hence all the internet ink we devoted to it.
With a base starting price of $85,595, the M5 would be $136,000 today. Second-hand, you can get them for around $21,000. Yeah, the depreciation hammer really hit these hard.
Meanwhile, V-10 fever was taking over at Audi as well. The engine found itself in the S8 sedan, as well as the most excellent RS6 Avant — yep, a V-10 wagon. But we never got that here (though we did get the S6 sedan) which is a tragedy. Still, the S8 was excellent in its own right: a butter-smooth executive sedan that’d hammer-down when you needed it to. It seemed larger than life, according to our First Test review, and that was saying something, since the mid-2000s were characterized by automotive opulence and grandeur. Understated and suave, it was thesleeper of its day. Audi’s famed all-wheel-drive system gave it the ability to tank around in even the crummiest of conditions, making the car a hit with those in regions that experience inclement weather. Eighteen years later, its design is still handsome.
If you wanted one of these in 2006, you’d write a check for $92,500 to start, which is $143,000 today. Used prices are extremely favorable. We’re talking like $15,000. But you know what they say: There’s no such thing as a cheap German car.
The original Audi R8 stunned the world with its beautiful, sculpted looks and timeless proportions. Three years later, Audi added two cylinders to the original V-8 and shipped out a V-10 version of its two-seater, mid-engine halo car. Did the already-good R8 need anything more? Yes, apparently. Faster, better sounding and just a touch heavier, the V-10 R8 somehow improved on something we didn’t think could be improved. Plus, how often can you say your Audi shares its heart with a Lamborghini? Andit had a gated manual shifter. We truly didn’t know how good we had it. The R8 enjoyed a very, very long run, with production finally ending in March of this year. And what a run it was. While everyone else was downsizing and turbocharging, the R8’s V-10 remained, stubbornly, defiantly.
Those extra cylinders increased the R8’s MSRP by nearly $20,000, for a $150,200 starting price—in today’s money, that comes to about $219,000. Hey, compared to the current Huracán, that’s basically a steal!
From the comfortable but relatively humdrum Lexus lineup came something no one expected: a rear-drive, two-seater V-10 supercar that stilltops peoples’ lists of favorite cars of all time even today, nearly a decade and a half later. To offset a V-10's inherent balance issues, Lexus engineers gave it a 72-degree bank angle (“optimal for smooth firing with a five-throw crank,” our Arthur St. Antoine wrote in 2009) and dry-sump lubrication to help bring down the center of gravity. Driven hard, the engine was incredibly smooth and sounded like the wail of angels from the outside. Does the “Pitch—the Pursuit of Perfection” advertisement live rent-free in anyone else’s head? The LFA was by far one of the most beautiful-sounding cars ever built.
With a starting price of around $380,000 ($528,000 today), it was an obscenely expensive car, let alone a Lexus. So worth it, though, because nothing else like it has come along since and is not likely to. On the used market, LFAs are priced right around $900,000.
Yes, yes, we just got done saying the Huracán is basically an extension of the Gallardo. Spiritually, we know this to be correct. But seeing as, technically, no new V-10 cars had been introduced since the Lexus LFA, the Huracán Sterrato felt like a fitting way to close out the V-10 era purely because of how ridiculous it is. An off-road Huracán? Sure, why not! It should be illegal to have that much fun kicking around in the dirt. And, you know what, the Sterrato is actually far more practical than you’d think. Now that we’ve been introduced to the V-10 Lambo’s successor, the V-8-powered Temerario, the Sterrato is also tinged by the reality of being among the last of its kind. Natural aspiration, 10 cylinders, gobs of power. We’ll miss it.
Offered in limited numbers, the Sterrato starts at $278,972. But being such a special car, we figure this is one of those cars that’s only going to appreciate once Lambo is done building it.
Photos by MotorTrend archive, Violet Cruz
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