Probably should be something stock so we’ve all heard it
If Ferrari 250 GTO doesn't count as 'stock', I'd have to say that the Ferrari 250 GT series still ranks right up there for me too.
A lot of race engines sound terrible at idle. The fun ones sound unhappy about idling, the unfun ones just blare.
Here's the Columbo V12 as found in the 250 Ferraris. These sound glorious at full chat but are a bit unremarkable at idle.
Driven5 said:In reply to Keith Tanner :
To each his own.
The opening of that video sounds more like a bent 8 than a 12!
If anybody says Subaru, I'm going to roll my eyes so loud, people in Florida will hear me.
Single 3" exhaust with big turbo muffler, slightly over cammed small block V8.
There is no such thing as over cammed, just insufficient supporting mods
I don't think Subarus sound that good on idle
But there's no better sounding 4 cylinder in midrange RPM
Since this is frency's thread, why not give him what he wants?
I say a Jag V12 is the best sounding engine at idle.
So what we've really determined here, is that there is no engine sounds particularly great at idle. The main part of what is so appealing about how a particular engine sounds at idle is not the sound itself, but rather what that sound means for when it's well above idle.
T.J. said:Since this is frency's thread, why not give him what he wants?
Because he'll still find a reason to argue about it
Speaking of engine sound, I'll repost a quick summary of an experience I had at the Gatornationals.
When we parked, I could hear a top fuel dragster engine idling in the pits, at least 500 yards away. As I was looking towards it, I suddenly noticed that there was a shimmering line in the air moving towards us. As it reached us, the sound of the throttle being blipped hit, bounced off of the line of trees behind us, and echoed back towards the track. I could still see the distortion in the light from the intensity of the sound moving away.
Top fuel dragsters. More than a thousand horsepower per cylinder. Sound so loud that you could see it.
T.J. said:Since this is frency's thread, why not give him what he wants?
I say a Jag V12 is the best sounding engine at idle.
Nope! While I like a V12 it’s not my favorite
Wood Chris Craft specifically the KBL engine in a 1949- 1955 runabout. For information it’s a Flathead Six with Three down draft carburetors. Those three big carbs require a decent camshaft to utilize. The exhaust goes into into a water cooled exhaust manifold feeding a 5 inch Brass exhaust tube. Between the Camshaft, the water flutter from coolant water exhausting into the manifold and normal motorboating sounds as the boat rocks in the waves. It’s a really unique sound
No car can idle like a motor boat even with the same engine. Water cooled exhaust manifolds give the exhaust note a flutter that’s impossible to replicate any other way and as a exhaust pipe is covered and uncovered by wave action there is a stumble and spitting as it rises in and out of the water. Add the required large diameter brass pipe and there is a slight ringing of the bell sound you don’t get with steel or stainless steel.
Back to the original specification as laid out in the original post- My Moms 71 Cutlass S with the high compression 350 was pretty nice.
Now, to wander off topic sightly- Straight pipes sound like poo at almost any rpm, unless they are connected to something with at least 13:1 compression and a redline on the high side of 9,000 rpm. A stock cam and a straight pipe is like wearing crocs and cargo shorts.
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