3 Sports Cars You May Not Realize Have V8 Engines Under The Hood

If you're like most auto fans, then the idea of a beefy V8 engine conjures images of iconic American muscle cars like the Ford Mustang GT and the Dodge Challenger. And while V8 engines are perhaps best-known for their use in burly U.S.-made muscle cars and pickup trucks, their applications aren't limited to these vehicles. In fact, you can find hulking V8 engines in a variety of vehicles, including a few that may surprise you. 

Sports cars aren't traditionally known for having large engines under the hood — in reality, that's one of the primary differences between muscle cars and sports cars. But even though sports cars aren't usually known for being built with massive motors, a handful of these nimble vehicles have a surprising amount of cylinders lurking in the engine bay — and we're not talking about the obvious ones, like the Chevy Corvette with its powerful LS engine, either. That's right. If you're a fan of sports cars and all the things that make them great, including excellent handling and maneuverability, but you also crave that sweet power that comes with beefy V8 engines, we've got a treat for you. Today, we'll explore a few of the coolest sports cars that also have V8 motors under the hood, including some that you may not be expecting. So, from the BMW M8 to the Jaguar F-TYPE, here are three sports cars that you may not realize have V8 engines.

The BMW M8 is a German luxury sports car that brings a lot of impressive features to the table, including a powerful V8 engine that makes it the fastest car in BMW's lineup. The coupe is designed to be track-ready right off the lot and features a 4.4-liter V8 motor capable of a jaw-dropping 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That powerful V8 engine is paired with BMW's eight-speed sport-tuned automatic transmission, and the two components combine to make the car capable of traveling from zero to 60 miles per hour in an impressive three seconds flat. 

The BMW M8's engine isn't the car's only noteworthy feature. In luxury sports car fashion, the M8 combines performance, style, and handling into one sweet ride. The coupe features adaptive suspension, which adjusts the vehicle's handling and damping force based on current driving conditions, and various driving modes, including sport and comfort. The car's bucket seats provide a truly performance-oriented experience and an overall luxurious interior with leather trim, a heads-up display, a heated steering wheel, and color choices so you can customize your car to match your style. The M8 doesn't skimp on safety, either. It comes with top-of-the-line tools like frontal collision warning, city collision mitigation, and lane departure warning. Outside, the coupe looks just as cool as it is powerful. The downside? If you want to get your hands on one of these V8-powered M8s, you'll have to fork over a minimum of $138,000.

The Lexus IS is another luxury sports car. The sedan is built by Lexus, which is Toyota's luxury-oriented branch and comes with some surprisingly cool features. While the base model IS has a snappy inline four-cylinder motor under the hood, the IS 500 Sport Performance model has a robust 5.0-liter V8 engine capable of producing an aggressive 472 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque. All of that power translates to the kind of quick acceleration that we're used to seeing in U.S. muscle cars, and the sedan can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

The Lexus IS doesn't only have a burly V8 engine under the hood. The luxury sport sedan also includes attractive performance and quality-of-life features. One of those cool features is the ability to choose between various driving modes, including a sport+ mode that automatically adjusts the vehicle's suspension, improving things like cornering and stiffening the damping force to enhance the sedan's handling. The IS is no slouch when it comes to good looks, either. It features 19-inch alloy wheels with a darky, smoky finish, and a low, aggressive stance reminiscent of track cars and custom tuners. The interior is attractive and features a large touchscreen display, enticing accent stitching, and circular air vents designed to resemble jet turbines. In terms of price, the IS 500 Sport Performance model is cheaper than the BMW M8. But with a starting price of $60,020, it's still more expensive than the average cost to purchase a new car in 2024.

The Jaguar F-TYPE is — surprise, surprise — another luxury sports car. Like the M8, the F-TYPE is a two-door coupe. Drivers have the option to choose between two powerful supercharged V8 engines: the P450, capable of 444 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, and the P575, which can produce 575 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The P450 is available with an automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive, and has a 0-to-60 time of 4.4 seconds. The P575 comes with an automatic transmission and is only available in all-wheel-drive, while its 0-to-60 time is an impressive 3.5 seconds.

Outside of engine options, the F-TYPE brings some attractive features. It comes with a 12.3-inch interactive driver display that includes things like a 3D map, media information like artist and song name, navigation notifications, and standard driving information like current speed, mileage, and RPM. The coupe's interior epitomizes luxury, and it features things like embossed leather seats, ambient lighting with your choice of five different color schemes, and heated and cooled seats with memory settings. The sleek exterior lends to the car's performance build and includes blade-style daytime running lights and sharp LED tail lights. In true Jaguar fashion, the F-TYPE is on the pricier side, and the base price tag starts at $77,900.