10 Cars Unexpectedly Powered By V8 Engines

Close up of V8 engine block

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When you think of V8-powered cars, what comes to mind? If you’re like us, it’s probably a performance car of some description. Whether it’s one of the many cool muscle cars of the 1960s or 1970s or a luxurious-yet-sporty V8-powered BMW, V8 engines are practically inseparable from speed and power in any self-respecting petrolhead’s mind. But that doesn’t mean every single V8-powered car has to be some fire-breathing speed freak with looks to match.

In the century since the first-ever V8 fired up in 1902, the classic eight-cylinder layout has been used in all kinds of cars, many of which were far removed from the tire-shredding stereotypes that V8s invariably bring to mind. There’s a long history of cars that packed V8s under the hood without looking the part, from perky British roadsters to unassuming Asian luxury sedans. There was even an otherwise dull V8-powered commercial van resulting from a British police contract for a fast personnel carrier.

While V8s are indelibly — and rightly — associated with high performance, that doesn’t have to be the case. These 10 cars prove that V8-powered vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. Whether any of these count as great is a matter that we’ll leave up to you.

Triumph Stag

If you’re looking for cars that don’t look like they have a V8 engine, one of the best places to check is Britain. The island nation’s automotive industry has a long heritage of squeezing V8 engines into cars that look destined for four- or six-cylinder powerplants. There’s no better place to start than with one of the most infamous examples, the Triumph Stag.

The Stag was one of the many cars built by the now-defunct Triumph Motor Company during its days under the stewardship of British Leyland. Whereas stablemates such as the Triumph Spitfire still regularly make lists of the greatest British sports cars of all time, the 1970 Stag is one of the many Triumphs from that era that has, rightly or wrongly, developed a reputation for being something of a stinker — and it was all down to the engine.

Despite having the Buick-derived Rover V8 available, Triumph used an in-house V8 for the Stag instead. This would have been fine had the Triumph V8 been a good engine, but some poor decisions meant that the V8 was anything but. The laundry list of faults included an oversquare profile, which sapped power; downsized bores, which led to overheating; and a long single timing chain prone to stretching and breaking, ruining the valves and pistons in the process. The unfortunate result was an unreliable 145 horsepower engine that let down what was otherwise a genuinely stylish car.

MG ZT 260

Let’s stay in the U.K. for now, but fast-forward to the heady 2000s and a car from British marque MG — the name behind nameplates such as the MGA 1500 and MGB Roadster. However, the MG of the 2000s was a vastly different entity from that which existed through the 1950s and 1980s, having reestablished itself anew after BMW sold off the money-losing Rover subsidiary in 2000.

Under the ownership of the Phoenix consortium, the company launched a selection of rebadged models, swapping the old Rover names for new MG branding. We’re interested in the MG ZT, previously known as the Rover 75. The ZT debuted with a 192 horsepower 2.5-liter V6, but the company promised that buyers would eventually get a V8 option — precisely what they got in 2003 when MG launched the rear-wheel-drive MG ZT 260.

The ZT 260 didn’t have any old V8, either. MG went with a 4.6-liter Ford engine, the same unit the Detroit automaker used in the contemporary fourth-generation Ford Mustang GT. And, yes, owners had nearly the same 265 horsepower and 302 lb-ft of torque on tap in the MG as Mustang owners did in their pony cars, just with a four-door sedan or wagon body instead. The British motoring press predictably loved the ZT 260, which MG Rover followed with a V8 Rover 75 in 2004. Unfortunately, neither the addition of the V8-powered Rover 75 nor journalistic acclaim could stop MG from going under again in 2005, having built only 883 examples.

Lexus LS 400

Lexus isn’t a brand associated with big and burly V8s, but that’s precisely what you would have found had you popped open the hood of its classic Lexus LS 400 in the 1990s. But while the 1UZ-FE V8 did indeed have eight cylinders, it wasn’t a V8 in the classic American mold, focused on brute power and smoking tires. Instead, Toyota’s V8 was all about smoothness and luxury, delivering its 256 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque without any drama.

The Lexus/Toyota 1UZ-FE engine was a marvel of engineering for the time. It sports a reinforced all-aluminum block with some heavy-duty, race-inspired construction details, such as a crankshaft with eight counterweights and cross-bolted main bearing caps. Not that Toyota had racing in mind. The cylinder heads were all about fuel economy, while the engine had a slight backward tilt so that the propeller shaft could lay flat and keep drivetrain vibrations to a minimum.

On top of its legendarily quiet operation, the 1UZ-FE proved to be one of the most reliable Lexus engines ever built. It helped earn the LS 400 plaudits for build quality and overall reliability — a reputation Lexus has maintained, competing with fellow Japanese automakers like Subaru and Toyota for the top spot. As far as the LS 400 goes, Lexus continued offering ever more powerful V8 engines in the LS 400’s successors, culminating in the 2006 LS 460’s 4.6-liter, 375 horsepower unit. Lexus’ LS models no longer have a V8, with the company swapping to a twin-turbo V6 starting in 2018.

Toyota Crown Majesta

The Lexus LS 400 may be the most recognizable V8-powered luxury cruiser to come out of Toyota’s factories in the 1990s, but it was far from the only one. Released just a couple of years after the LS 400 (or Toyota Celsior, as it was known in Japan), the Toyota Crown Majesta — not to be confused with the 2023 Toyota Crown hybrid available in the U.S. — offered an alternative for those unable to reach for Toyota’s flagship executive car.

Toyota offered two engines in the Crown Majesta. Buyers could opt for a 3.0-liter 2JZ-GE six-cylinder making 226 horsepower or the same 256 horsepower 4.0-liter 1UZ-FE V8 as the LS 400. While it’s hard to say for sure, this choice of engines likely has something to do with Japan’s road tax system, which charges vehicle owners based on engine displacement. Those who wanted to save a bit of money on their yearly tax payments could have opted for the 2JZ.

As with the Lexus LS cars, the V8 would continue to be a fixture in Crown Majesta engine bays for more than two decades, although the engine itself would change over the years. The 2004 debut of the 3UZ-FE brought 276 horsepower before its 2009 replacement by the 1UR-FSE, one of Toyota’s most powerful engines ever built, provided 342 horsepower.

Kia K900

British and Japanese automakers aren’t the only ones who’ve dabbled with releasing V8-powered sedans. The Koreans have gotten in on the act, too. One example is the Kia K900 (also known as the K9 outside of the U.S.). Kia debuted the K9 for the South Korean market in 2012 with a 286 horsepower V6 in the engine bay and Kia’s first-ever rear-wheel-drive drivetrain.

Kia was initially noncommittal about introducing the luxury-minded sedan to North America, but it eventually brought it to the U.S. market for the 2015 model year to go toe-to-toe with the big boys of the luxury sedan market. The K9 was already pretty luxurious, but Kia knew that the sedan needed a bit more grunt to acquit itself well against the BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes of the world. To that end, the company made one crucial upgrade: a Hyundai-sourced 5.0-liter Tau V8 engine producing 420 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque.

The V8 couldn’t lift the K900 to the standards of the best competitors in its class. While the engine was more than adequate, the rest of the car seemingly left much to be desired, with reviews citing issues such as an uninspiring driving feel, excessive body roll, and iffy braking. Kia kept at it, though, debuting a second-generation K900 in 2019 with the V8 intact. Unfortunately, the luxury car flopped, and Kia stopped offering it in the U.S. only a few years later.

Hyundai Genesis

Before Kia’s V8-powered K900 hit the American streets, there was Hyundai. More specifically, there was the Hyundai Genesis, the company’s attempt to join the luxury sports sedan market dominated by BMW. The Genesis debuted in 2008 for the 2009 model year with a selection of engines on offer: 3.3- and 3.8-liter V6s and the then-new 4.6-liter Tau V8.

The Tau wasn’t the most powerful V8 ever, but Hyundai probably wasn’t shooting for the moon. It made a solid 375 horsepower (or 368 horsepower on regular unleaded) and 324 lb-ft of torque, more than acceptable given its relatively affordable $38,000 starting price. For context, other notable V8-powered, luxury-inclined sedans of the time all cost north of $50,000, giving the Korean upstart a clear advantage in the price wars.

Hyundai stuck with the 4.6-liter Tau V8 for a few years but eventually introduced a bigger Tau V8 in 2012. The new V8 powered the Genesis 5.0 R-Spec. It was the same engine as the contemporary Kia 900, but Hyundai quoted 429 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque for the Genesis R-Spec. Hyundai eventually spun Genesis into its own brand in 2016, with the Genesis G80 continuing the Hyundai Genesis’ lineage starting with the 2017 model year. The G80 retained the 5.0-liter Tau V8 for a few years but dropped it in favor of V6 engines in 2019.

Triumph TR8

Let’s not beat around the bush. The Triumph Stag was a dud. But its failure didn’t scare Triumph away from returning to the template a decade or so later with a much better engine — sadly, without much more success. Enter the Triumph TR8, a car sometimes known as the English Chevrolet Corvette, and another entry in the sorry tale of Triumph’s struggles in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Triumph TR8 had its roots in the Triumph TR7, a hardtop sports car from 1974 that had a 105 horsepower four-cylinder engine under the hood. The TR7 wasn’t universally loved in its day, with some critics lambasting the four-pot motor and front-engined layout. It had its supporters as well, of course, but Triumph eventually decided that the car needed a bit of help if it was to appeal to North American customers.

In 1978, the company swapped the 2.0-liter inline four for one of Land Rover’s most reliable engines, the 3.5-liter Rover V8, which made 135 horsepower. It was a smart move. The U.S. motoring press loved the TR8. The basic chassis proved capable enough to earn racing success courtesy of Bob Tullius, who ran a couple of 395 horsepower TR8s in the 1979 SCCA championship. Despite that, the TR8 failed to make a dent in the American market, with modern commentators blaming Triumph’s poor reliability record and unfavorable monetary exchange rates in the late 1970s. Triumph built between 2,700 and 2,800 TR8s, nearly all left-hand-drive. The TR8 would sadly be the second-to-last car to carry the Triumph badge before the company dissolved in 1984.

Ford Fairmont

If we’re just going by the name, then most likely wouldn’t think that a V8 Ford is all that surprising. But the Fairmont was far removed from the kind of high-performance Ford commonly associated with V8 power. Instead, it was one of the products of the dreaded malaise era after the 1973 oil crisis. The Fairmont is sometimes remembered as one of Ford’s worst products from that period.

The Fairmont debuted in 1977 for the 1978 model year, with Ford predicting it would top sales charts thanks to a focus on fuel economy, spaciousness, comfort, and overall value. Ford initially offered the Fairmont, built on its then-new Fox platform, in three body styles: a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a four-door wagon, but introduced a two-door coupe later that year. The standard engine for the sedan was an 88 horsepower 2.3-liter inline-four, while the wagon came with a 3.3-liter inline-six rated at 86 horsepower. Ford also let buyers choose a 5.0-liter V8, offering an improved but still unimpressive 139 horsepower.

Despite the lack of power, reviewers of the time liked the Fairmont quite a bit. Car and Driver’s journalists hailed the Fairmont’s engineering, fuel economy, handling, and overall sophistication — likely not the first words that come to mind about a Fairmont today. While time hasn’t been kind to the boxy Ford, it deserves a place in history for being the first-ever Ford built on the Fox platform, setting the stage for the much-loved Fox Body Mustang.

Freight Rover Sherpa

The V8-powered cars we’ve discussed thus far have all been either compact roadsters or unassuming luxury cars. While we greatly appreciate both, it’s time to branch out and discuss the Freight Rover Sherpa, a British commercial van that once came with a V8 under the hood.

If you’ve not heard of Freight Rover, don’t worry; it probably just means you’re not British. The Freight Rover Sherpa started life as the Leyland Sherpa in 1974. It was sold under that name for quite a few years before parent company British Leyland reorganized its commercial van operations in 1981. British Leyland parked the Sherpa under a new Land Rover subsidiary called Freight Rover, and the Freight Rover Sherpa was born.

Over the next few years, Freight Rover facelifted and updated the Sherpa successfully, even releasing a four-wheel-drive version using Land Rover technology. Larger body styles also debuted, but the version that’s of interest here is the V8 iteration. The direct result of a London Metropolitan Police contract, the V8 Sherpa 300 launched in late 1985. Freight Rover eventually made the 132 horsepower, 185-lb-ft of torque producing V8 available for commercial and emergency vehicle use beyond the initial police contract, albeit mostly in its larger body styles. Dutch firm DAF acquired Freight Rover in 1987 and continued offering the V8 in the larger Sherpas until at least the early 1990s.

Sunbeam Tiger

We sign off by returning to the wonderful world of British sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s to cover another open-top roadster named after an animal. But not just any animal, mind you. We’re discussing the Sunbeam Tiger here, a tiny V8-powered sports car often called a baby version of the automotive icon Shelby Cobra.

While they may not look that similar, the two are cut from the same cloth — not least because Carroll Shelby also had a hand in creating the Tiger. Like the Cobra, which was an AC Ace with a Ford Windsor V8 under the hood, the Sunbeam Tiger was an otherwise conventional convertible but with a Ford V8 in place of the original engine. Another similarity between the Cobra and the Tiger was the engine selection. The Mk I Tiger sported the same 260 ci V8 present in early Cobras. The short-lived Mk II models also echoed the Shelby Cobra, switching to the 289 ci Ford Windsor V8.

Despite similar engines, the two roadsters occupied opposing ends of the market. Where the Cobra was a performance monster, the Tiger was a more laid-back and luxurious ride — albeit one still capable of hitting 60 mph in 7.8 seconds. Sunbeam built just over 7,000 Tigers between 1964 and 1967, with production ending soon after Chrysler purchased shares in Sunbeam’s parent company, Rootes Group. Chrysler didn’t want to sell a Ford-powered car, which was fair enough, but had no engines that could replace the Ford. And so the Tiger’s run came to a premature end.