Ladies and gentlemen, put on your headphones, crank up the volume, go subscribe to the Ideal Cars YouTube channel, and sit back. You’re about to enjoy some of the best exhaust notes on the planet! These are the 10 best sounding stock exhausts on the planet! Let’s go!
Porsche Carrera GT – Lethally Loud
This is a list of the best-sounding cars of all time in no particular order, but it’s fair to say that most of these cars aren’t what you would call “cheap.” And the Porsche Carrera GT is a great example of that because today examples of the Carrera GT are trading for just under $1 million! But I wouldn’t be surprised if their owners were just paying for that glorious exhaust note!
I could just listen to that engine all day! Plus, our friends Damon and crew over at DDE just bought one and are in the process of straight-piping it! Let’s go! Stock, it sounds good, but straight-piped, that is other-worldly!
Thank Porsche for stuffing that magnificent 5.7-liter F1-derived V10 into that timeless body. The CGT was destined to be an actual Le Mans racecar, but that never happened and we were left with the GT as it is today. The 1,270 cars that Porsche produced will thunder into oblivion all the way up to its naturally-aspirated 8,000 RPM redline, and shifting gears is all up to you and your left foot.
From one V10 to another, the Lexus LFA is by far the best-sounding car to come out of Japan.
Lexus LFA – Loud AF
Wait. Hold up. You’re telling me that Lexus has one of the best-sounding cars in the world? You don’t believe me? Just take a listen! Lexus spent over a decade of development before the road-going supercar was released to the public in 2009. The LFA is so over-engineered that Lexus co-developed their V10 engine with Yamaha. And not with their motorcycle department, but with their instrument division.
This V10 is probably the only car ever to be musically tuned, and it sings its way all the way up to its 9,500 RPM redline! Sadly, Lexus only built 500 LFAs for the world, and most people overlook them because they came out the same year that the Nissan GT-R did.
On paper, the GT-R was a faster and better car, not to mention it was a quarter the price. But the GT-R doesn’t sing quite like the LFA does. Sadly, the LFA sings to the tune of $500,000 today, but that’s a bargain if you ask me.
Now, the Pagani Zonda 760 LM, on the other hand, would be sure to break the bank, and probably blow out your eardrums too.
Pagani Zonda 760 LM – Final Performance
The 760 was one of the last run of Zondas, and as a farewell to Zondas, these Paganis meant business. They’re the most powerful road-going Zondas ever, powered by an AMG-derived 7.3-liter V12 that snarls with 800 horsepower up to an 8,000 RPM redline, spitting F1 sounds to everyone within miles of these cars.
There were literally only two of these cars made, a coupe and a roadster. Sure, other Zondas sound good, but even the Cinque had five coupes and five roadsters, so even hearing a 760 LM is a massive treat. I wish I could hear that sound each and every day.
This next car comes from the same country, but drops four cylinders and is quite a bit more affordable. The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is a masterfully created piece of art, and that artwork sounds damn good.
Alfa Romeo 8C – The Comeback
The 8C gets its notes thanks to the Ferrari F136 engine. You might recognize its exhaust note from the Ferrari F430, F458, and a number of Maseratis, making it one of the most legendary V8s ever produced. If you want to go see more of the best V8s ever made, make sure to go watch our video about them!
Now, the 8C was the first car that Alfa Romeo brought back to the USA after a nearly-15-year hiatus, paving the way for the likes of the spunky little 4C and the savage Giulia and Stelvio Guadrifoglio models. The company made only 500 8C coupes at a hefty $301,600 price tag, and they decided to make 500 Spiders with even more drama for a cheaper price of $299,000.
Not only did the Spider drop the top, but also the top speed from 181 miles per hour to 180. Unfortunately, the USA only got 35 Spiders, so they’re truly a sight to see… and hear.
From a meaty 8-cylinder to a roaring 12-cylinder, the Ferrari F12tdf earns its way onto the list with one of the best sounding 12-cylinder engines on the planet.
Ferrari F12tdf – Too Damn Fast
The F12tdf is based on the F12, which is already bonkers, and the F12tdf turns that recipe up another notch by taking the naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V12 from 730 horsepower up to 769 horsepower! Hellcat who?
Not only does the F12tdf make all that power, but it revs all the way up to an 8,900 RPM redline! Unfortunately, the 799 units trade for somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million!
Luckily, a Dodge Viper ACR is a fifth of the price of an F12tdf.
Dodge Viper ACR – ‘Murrrica
The Dodge Viper ACR might just sound as mean as the Ferrari F12tdf, but while the F12tdf is a V12, the ACR is a massive 8.4-liter V10. And be careful, because this snake has a massive bite! The venomous sound exits right by the door so you’re sure to get an earful of thunderous V10 every time you drive it.
You’ll have to wrangle in all the power through a manly third pedal and six-speed transmission. Trust me, this is one rowdy ride. Designed for track use, the ACR is the fastest American car to lap the famous Nurburgring in a blistering 7:01.3! That’s hypercar speed!
But, unlike hypercars with their fancy hybrid systems, turbos, and dual-clutch transmissions, the Viper ACR is still naturally aspirated and only comes with a manual transmission.
The Lamborghini Murcielago SV, on the other hand, is a naturally-aspirated V12 with only five or six that came out of the factory with a manual transmission.
Lamborghini Murcielago SV – No Mercy
Most Murcielago SVs came with an automated E-Gear transmission, which would shift its way through its gears all the way to its glorious 8,250 RPM redline. Just listen to it scream up to over 200 miles per hour! Tell me it’s not ready to take off! Like the manual SVs, the E-Gear Murcielagos are rare too, as they only produced a total of 186 units.
Sadly, they had planned on making 350 in total, but they stopped production early to make way for the introduction of the Aventador. And, sure, the Aventador sounds great, but it’s got nothing on the scream of the Murcielago SV, or even a GT350R Mustang.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R – Affordable Audio
Unlike the Lambos, the GT350R doesn’t come with a six-figure price tag. Starting new around $70,000, it’s still pricey, but not astronomical. And let me tell you, that price is justified with just the exhaust note.
Thanks to the voodoo flat-plane crank 5.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8, Ford was able to get the GT350R to rev all the way out to 8,250 RPM. But, sadly, like all the other cars mentioned before, Ford is taking the GT350R out of production.
Whether they targeted too many crowds or drank too much oil, they’ve given way for the cheaper GT500 to take its place, leaving us with the memory of its glorious exhaust note.
One car that’s still in production, however, is the Jaguar F Type.
Jaguar F Type – F Yeah!
The crazy thing is that no matter which engine you choose in the F-Type, you will have an amazing sound. From the V6 to the R or even the SVR, whichever engine you choose, you will have one of the best-sounding cars on the planet!
And, unlike most of the cars on this list, you won’t have to shell out an arm and a leg just to afford one, because you can buy them for less than $30,000 now! Sounds pretty good, right? Well, yeah, just not as good as the exhaust sounds.
Jaguar is one of the most prestigious manufacturers from across the pond. But, what happens when Korea makes a hot hatch aimed at younger enthusiasts? You get the Hyundai Veloster N.
Hyundai Veloster N – Snap, Crackle, Pop
One of the most overlooked and underrated cars, the Veloster N looks unassuming at first. But get behind the wheel and get ready to unleash the beast. The little 2-liter turbo motor puts out a peppy 275 horsepower that rushes out of the exhaust in one of three modes. We’re sticking with Sport+ mode, though.
Listen to those pops and bangs! That comes standard on a car that you can have for less than $30,000 new!
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