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Gone But Never Forgotten: 11 Unforgettable V10 Road Cars

For a brief, glorious stretch of automotive history, the V10 was the most exotic engine you could find in a road car.

A silver V10-powered McLaren Solus GT parked among desert dunes at sunset — A ten-cylinder engine remains one of the most evocative layouts in performance motoring.

There was a golden era in automotive history when naturally aspirated engines defined the most emotionally engaging sports cars. V6s powered attainable performance machines, V8s brought muscle and menace, and V12s ruled the exotic top end. Between them sat the oddball V10: rarer than either, thrillingly high-revving and capable of combining V8 punch with much of a V12’s sense of occasion.

It was never a volume-engine configuration, and that is part of its appeal. From a diesel Volkswagen created as an engineering flex to some of the greatest supercars ever made, these 11 road cars represent the ten-cylinder era at its most memorable.

Volkswagen Phaeton / Touareg V10 TDI

5.0-liter twin-turbo diesel V10 · up to 350 hp · 627 lb-ft

Volkswagen’s 5.0-liter V10 TDI was an unapologetic exercise in engineering excess during the Ferdinand Piëch era. In the Phaeton sedan and Touareg SUV, the twin-turbo diesel made 310 hp and a huge 553 lb-ft of torque. The rare Touareg R50 raised those figures to 350 hp and 627 lb-ft.

That torque was the engine’s calling card. Volkswagen famously used a Touareg V10 TDI to tow a Boeing 747 in a televised stunt, and the powertrain remains a remarkable artifact of early-2000s ambition: heavy, complex, expensive to maintain, and completely unlike anything else in its class.

Audi S6 / S8 (C6 / D3)

5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 · 435–450 hp · 398 lb-ft

Audi S8 with its V10 badge visible on the front fender — The D3 Audi S8 concealed its Lamborghini-related V10 beneath restrained executive-car styling.

Audi’s C6 S6 and D3 S8 hid a detuned version of the 5.2-liter V10 related to the unit used in the Lamborghini Gallardo. The S6 made 435 hp, while the larger S8 produced 450 hp. Neither car advertised its performance with outrageous styling.

That contrast was the whole point. Double-pane glass, soft leather and available Bang & Olufsen audio made these quiet executive express trains—until the throttle opened and a Lamborghini-like V10 soundtrack arrived. Few cars have blended understated luxury, straight-line pace and supercar theatre so convincingly.

BMW M5 / M6 (E60 / E63)

5.0-liter naturally aspirated V10 · 500 hp · 383 lb-ft

The E60 M5 and E63 M6 were products of a kind of BMW M experimentation that is unlikely to return. Their S85 was a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10 inspired by BMW’s Formula 1 program, with ten individual throttle bodies and an 8,250-rpm redline.

It was demanding and notoriously expensive to keep healthy, but the reward was extraordinary. Letting the engine clear 7,000 rpm on the way to 500 hp remains one of modern performance driving’s great experiences.

Dodge Ram SRT-10

8.3-liter naturally aspirated V10 · 500 hp · 525 lb-ft

Dodge’s SRT division took the third-generation Viper’s 8.3-liter V10 and put it in a full-size pickup. In the two-door Regular Cab, it was paired exclusively with a Hurst six-speed manual transmission. The result was a 5,000-pound rear-drive truck with 500 hp and 525 lb-ft.

A 0–60 mph run in about 4.9 seconds and a 154-mph top speed made the Ram SRT-10 properly quick even by modern standards. Fast pickups are now familiar, but in the mid-2000s this one was gloriously absurd.

Lamborghini Gallardo

5.0- / 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 · up to 562 hp · 398 lb-ft

Before the Huracán, the Gallardo helped make the Lamborghini supercar feel genuinely usable. The early 5.0-liter engine was celebrated for its even-firing character and operatic soundtrack; the first Superleggera produced 523 hp. From 2009, the updated 5.2-liter unit brought more power and greater robustness, reaching 562 hp in LP570 models.

All-wheel-drive traction, a raw mechanical feel and the violent e-gear automated manual ensured the Gallardo never let its driver forget what it was. For the most connected experience, the rare six-speed manual remains the enthusiast’s choice.

Lexus LFA

4.8-liter naturally aspirated V10 · up to 562 hp · 354 lb-ft

Toyota spent roughly a decade developing the Lexus LFA, and its 4.8-liter 1LR-GUE V10 shows why. Co-developed with Yamaha, it could sweep from idle to 9,000 rpm in about 0.6 seconds—so quickly that Lexus used a digital tachometer because a conventional needle could not keep up.

The standard LFA produced 552 hp, while the Nürburgring Package added 10 hp. Numbers only tell part of the story: its Formula 1-inspired intake and exhaust note remains one of the smoothest, sharpest sounds ever made by a road car.

Audi RS 6 Avant (C6)

5.0-liter twin-turbo V10 · 571 hp · 479 lb-ft

The most powerful production application of Audi’s 5.0-liter V10 did not arrive in a supercar. In the late-2000s horsepower wars, Audi fitted its family hauler with a twin-turbocharged V10 producing 571 hp and 479 lb-ft.

The C6 RS 6 Avant was a sleeper in the purest sense: a lavish, practical wagon that could devour Autobahn miles and leave supposedly faster-looking cars behind. Its ability to do all of that without surrendering everyday usefulness is what makes it so special.

Porsche Carrera GT

5.7-liter naturally aspirated V10 · 605 hp · 435 lb-ft

Originally conceived for an abandoned Le Mans prototype project, the Carrera GT’s 5.7-liter naturally aspirated V10 is a holy-grail engine. Its 605 hp went to the rear wheels through an ultra-light ceramic clutch and a precise six-speed manual transmission.

The Carrera GT offered little forgiveness and demanded complete concentration at speed, but it rewarded commitment with rare mechanical clarity. Its high-pitched V10 scream ranks with the greatest sounds in automotive history.

Audi R8 GT

5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 · 602 hp · 417 lb-ft

The Audi R8 was the archetypal daily supercar: roomy enough for taller drivers, beautifully built and blessed with an exotic V10 that proved remarkably durable. The engine evolved from 518 hp at the R8’s introduction to 602 hp in the final rear-wheel-drive R8 GT.

It was comfortable and approachable in ordinary use. Drop two gears and the mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10 erupted directly behind the cabin, transforming the composed Audi into something far more dramatic.

Lamborghini Huracán

5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 · up to 631 hp · 417 lb-ft

The Huracán shared the R8’s V10 architecture but delivered it with distinctly Italian theatre. The engine raced to an 8,500-rpm redline with a sharp, unmistakable roar, while dual-clutch shifts and available all-wheel drive gave the car devastating speed.

The 631-hp Huracán STO and Tecnica were rear-wheel drive; the raised, all-wheel-drive Sterrato made 601 hp. From the early LP 610-4 through those final special editions, the Huracán offered a sensory experience that turbocharged hybrids struggle to replicate.

Dodge Viper

8.0- / 8.4-liter naturally aspirated V10 · up to 645 hp · 600 lb-ft

The Viper’s V10 predates every other engine here. It began with a 400-hp 8.0-liter unit in 1992, grew to 8.3 liters and 500 hp for the third generation, and ultimately became an 8.4-liter monster—one of the largest-displacement engines fitted to a modern production sports car.

By the time the final Viper ACR arrived, it made 645 hp and 600 lb-ft. Every Viper used a manual transmission, and the final cars paired the big engine with a Tremec six-speed. It was physically demanding, brutally direct and impossible to treat casually—exactly as a Viper should be.

Why the V10 Still Matters

Today’s turbocharged and electrified performance cars are faster, more efficient and often more capable. But the V10 offered something that numbers cannot fully convey: a compact, high-revving engine with an unmistakable voice and character. Whether it was powering a luxury sedan, a family wagon, a pickup or a supercar, the ten-cylinder era produced cars we are unlikely to see again.