I’ll cut right to the chase, folks. The answer is no. There is not a single V10 in mass (or even low-volume) production right now, and that’s a damn shame, but I understand why. V10s are sort of caught in a middle ground between V8s and V12s. They’re not as fuel efficient as a V8 — naturally aspirated or otherwise — and they don’t have the luxury cache of a V12.
The V8 comparison is the real issue here. I mean, you’re not getting that much more power from a big V10 than you are from a big V8, but they’re heavier, physically bigger and have more parts that can fail. That’s true for both production vehicles and race cars, which have also foregone V10s for V8s and other smaller motors. In all honesty, as sad as it might be, there’s just no real reason for the V10 to exist today. Automakers seem to realize that, which is why over just the past few years the final production V10s stopped leaving factories.
On the other hand, V10s are cool as hell because of their rarity and the types of cars they’ve been put in, so I wouldn’t discount them making a return in some form or another, but I really don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon.
V10s of years gone by
Still, it wasn’t too long ago that you could get a V10 in a production vehicle, but that ended with the Lamborghini Huracán’s demise at the end of 2024. It marked the end of 21 years of production for Lambo’s iconic naturally aspirated 5.0-liter and 5.2-liter V10s that powered various Gallardos, Huracáns and Audi R8s. It’s being replaced with a twin-turbocharged, plug-in hybrid V8 in the upcoming Temerario. While I’m sure that engine will be both fabulous and powerful, it’s sad to see the long-running V10 die.
Other very notable V10 applications which have gone by the wayside are the Dodge Viper, which was powered by massive 8.0-plus-liter V10s from 1991 to 2017, and Porsche’s high-strung 5.7-liter V10 that it fitted to the Carrera GT. Both of those V10s went away when those cars ended production. [Editor’s note: Andy ridiculously forgot to mention the Lexus LFA, the best V10-powered car ever made]
Dying just a few years before Lamborghini’s V10 was actually the unsung hero of the V10 world: Ford’s 6.8-liter Triton motor that it threw in heavy-duty vehicles from 1997 to 2021. It powered everything from the Ford Excursion and Ford-based motorhomes to the Super Duty pickup and Bluebird school busses. Basically, it was a big workhorse motor for customers who didn’t want to deal with what comes with owning a diesel motor. It, as you might have guessed, died when Ford introduced its Godzilla V8 in 2020, which puts out anywhere from 300 to 430 horsepower.
