Who makes the best V-8? That's the question we set out to answer.
We all agreed ? without doubt ? that the always hard-hitting LS3 of the Corvette had the best power delivery and was by far the easiest with which to tap its potential.
But everyone also agreed the Ferrari sounded the best. Said Steve, "The F430's engine goes through melodies of sound that start out throaty, move on to a bark and finish in a high-revving scream." It's about as sexy-sounding a package as you'll ever find.
So when it came to choosing an absolute favorite V-8, we were torn: Two of us chose the Corvette's torque-rich 6.2-liter, the other two the Ferrari's high-revving 4.3. In a tie-breaker, we went with the Corvette's LS3. This engine is truly phenomenal in its everyday usability and civility, yet it's insanely fast when you ask it to be ? all the while rewarding our ears with that most American of V-8 thunder.
But since you generally don't buy a car based solely on its engine, rather the whole car as a package, the question remains: Which is our favorite V-8 sports car? When the editors were asked which car they would buy if they had to pay for it themselves, two said they'd sell their house and buy the Ferrari, while two opted for the Corvette. Jonathan justified his choice of the Vette: "I'd like to say I'd buy the Audi if I were paying for it, but the thought of owning two Corvettes for the same amount of cash ? one for the street, one for the track...I think I know a deal when I see one."
If "forced" to drive one of these every day, we were split again: Two chose the real-world comfort and livability of the Audi R8, two saying they'd put up with the Ferrari's frenzied, exotic nature just for the thrill of it.
But when asked which car everyone loved driving the most, it wasn't even a contest ? it was Ferrari's F430. So while the Corvette LS3 gets the honor as our favorite V-8, the Ferrari F430 is our favorite V-8 sports car.
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