Symphony of Combustion: My Favorite Exhaust Notes

While the look of a car catches my attention, and the performance keeps me behind the wheel, the sound a car makes is what truly captures my heart. In fact, an exhaust system of some sort has always been first and highest on my list of modifications to a car. I need to love the song a car makes, and regardless of looks or performance, a lackluster note can be a deal-breaker for me in considering what to drive. While not a comprehensive list of examples, I wanted to share with you a few of the meanest, most beautiful, or absurdly aggressive exhaust notes I have heard or found in my travels.


Right off the bat, a motor/exhaust combo that's near and dear to me (did I mention I love Corvettes?) is an LS powered car with a big cam and headers. Nothing sounds more like trouble than the loping, crackling idle of a cammed LS motor followed by the ear splitting roar that tears through a set of headers when you rev one.

Case in point:

Chills and goosebumps every time, and for the full experience grab a set of high-end headphones, turn the volume up as loud as it goes, and wave goodbye to your eardrums. That combo strikes fear into the heart of competitors the moment you hit the ignition; it doesn't get any more brutal.

On the other hand, we have exhaust notes that are beautiful and melodic. Still aggressive, but with a glorious song-like quality, we turn to the world of Ferrari V12 powered cars. Nothing sounds quite like a Ferrari-12, and my favorite from this realm is the 599GTO, a ridiculously limited production world-beater variant of the already superb 599GTB.

How does it sound? Well...

I'm not sure it gets any better than that, and there aren't many car fans that would argue. That smooth melody ripping to an astronomical redline is something I recommend everyone find a way to experience in person at least once in their life. If you're not a Ferrari fan, you will be after the first few gears.

Well, of course V12s sound phenomenal, but what happens if we cut the number of cylinders in half? Harder to find a 6-cylinder car that makes a sound worth noting, unless you just love vacuum cleaners. One exception here is the unique note of any of the Porsche 911 Turbos with catless exhaust systems. The flat six note, combined with the distinct turbine whirl of the turbochargers, and a raucous snap and crackle on overrun makes these cars a treat to hear flogged on a track.

Here's an example of a 911 Turbo S with a Capristo exhaust system:

Not bad at all, is it? Heck I'd drive one around town a gear too high just to keep hearing that crackle every time I let off the throttle.

Now, for one of my absolute favorite exhaust notes in one of my short list dream cars.  Jaguar combined the sinister snarl of a straight piped V8 with ear splitting pops and cracks from what may be the most insane stock exhaust system ever installed on a production car. These cars simply don't make sense making the amount of noise they do right off the showroom, and I love them for that. An absolute must have, we conclude with this monster, and what a terror it is:

...What? Your steers are singing? I love that car.

See you on the road,

Alexander