This V8 Sedan Embarrasses the M5—And Costs Half as Much

If there’s a type of car that pretty much any type of gearhead enjoys, it’s the V8 sports sedan. These cars have been around in some form or another for decades, and have offered a brilliant “best of both worlds” situation between performance and practicality. They can also be a lot more understated than other kinds of performance cars. The car we’re about to discuss here is definitely not understated. But it’s one of the best of the more modern ones, and you’d be surprised at how affordable they can be these days.

It’s Very Difficult To Find A Proper, Old-School V8 Sports Sedan These Days

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It’s really difficult to find any old-school V8 sports sedans these days. It’s nearly impossible to find one brand-new in showrooms today. Even if you go to the used market, a lot of the ones you’ll see will be too expensive for the average enthusiast. So, unless you’ve got plenty of money to spend, your choice is realistically quite limited.

Out of all the proper, old-school, V8 sports sedans that have appeared in recent years, the majority of them have come from American brands. That’s perhaps not that surprising. America still loves its V8s, after all. It wasn’t that long ago when you could get the Corvette-powered Cadillac CTS-V, or the brilliant Australian captive import that was the Chevrolet SS. The car that we’re focusing on here is one of those North American muscle sedans. It comes from the Mopar world instead of General Motors like the two examples we’ve just mentioned, and a couple of its variants have become legendary for their power and performance.

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The Seventh-Generation Dodge Charger Is The Last Great, Affordable V8 Sports Sedan On The Used Market

Stellantis

The seventh-generation Dodge Charger is a car that’s only recently stopped being produced. The final examples were made for the 2023 model year, before they were replaced by the 4-door version of the new Charger. But many enthusiasts already dearly miss it. That’s because it really is one of the last great V8 sports sedans to ever be made. The most powerful internal combustion engine the new 4-door Charger will currently let you have is a turbocharged inline-6.

Several variants of the old Charger, though, were available with V8s, and they were brilliant V8s at that. The modern Hemi V8 was available in 5.7-liter and 6.4-liter form, and the SRT Hellcat and SRT Hellcat Redeye versions got the now-legendary 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8. The most powerful Hellcat-engined variants have up to 797 hp and 707 lb-ft of torque, resulting in 0-60 mph times as quick as 3.5 seconds.

The V8-powered variants of the seventh-generation Dodge Charger were on the expensive side back when they were new. But now, thanks to the depreciation that almost all performance cars go through, you can get some of those variants for a surprisingly affordable price. The R/T and SRT-8 variants have an average used value of $29,280 and $28,027, respectively.

Some Of The V8-Powered Variants Are Still Too Expensive For The Average Enthusiast

Dodge

While those lower-level V8 variants of the seventh-generation Dodge Charger are relatively affordable, the faster and more desirable ones are still out of the range of regular enthusiasts. The SRT 392, which replaced the SRT-8, is worth an average of around $38,500. The SRT Hellcat is worth around $63,600, while the SRT Hellcat Redeye is worth around $74,599. A modified SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody alsorecently sold for $91,000, giving this variant actual six-figure potential down the line.

Cadillac Has Been Keeping The Old-School V8 Sports Sedan Alive

Cadillac

While the old-school V8 sports sedan may be slowly dying, at least one brand has been adamant about keeping it alive. That’s Cadillac, which currently still sells and produces the CT5-V Blackwing. This performance monster is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged V8, producing 668 hp and 659 lb-ft of torque. All that power goes to the rear wheels. Perhaps most crucially for old-school enthusiasts, it’s available with a 6-speed manual transmission as well as the standard General Motors 10-speed automatic. Cadillac claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds with the 10-speed automatic transmission, as well as a top speed of over 200 mph.

Cadillac

While the current-generation CT5 is ending production this year and a new-generation version with a gas engine will replace it, there has been no word on whether a Blackwing variant will be made for it. As a result, you’ve only got a few months left to get America’s last manual-transmission V8 sedan if you can afford it.

Lexus Also Managed To Keep It Alive Until 2025

Surprisingly, one of the other brands that was absolutely insistent on keeping the old-school V8 performance sedan alive right up until the bitter end was Lexus. The Japanese luxury marque kept the IS500 F Sport Performance in its lineup right up until 2025, when it decided to discontinue the naturally aspirated 5-liter V8 in all of its cars except for the LC500. That V8 engine produces 472 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque in the IS500 F Sport Performance, giving it a 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds and a claimed top speed of up to 150 mph. While that doesn’t make it as fast as the fastest American V8 sports sedans, it’s definitely a compelling alternative.

Sources: Bring A Trailer, Classic.com, Dodge, Lexus