Throughout history, cars frequently marked their character by soundtrack. After all, who didn’t make racecar noises as a kid? Even today, under the watchful eyes of noise, vibration and harshness targets, cars still make a wide array of satisfying noises, so let’s celebrate some of them. Today we want to know what your favorite car sound is.
As for engine sound, there’s nothing like the organ notes of induction noise. Sure, forced induction is cool, but indulging your senses in the sheer intake of internal combustion is pupil-widening stuff. It’s especially scintillating in a McLaren 600LT with a roof scoop, or a 718 GT4 RS that pulls air from vents in the quarter glass, or anything with open velocity stacks. Exhaust noise is so last decade, induction noise is pure selfish hotness.
However, there are also many car noises that don’t come from an engine, yet are equally mesmerizing. The tuk of an old Porsche door, the rifle-bolt confirmation of the power door lock actuators on a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the flexing of old leather seats, the brashness of a Cadillac four-note horn, I could go on.
I shan’t go on, though, because I want to turn it over to you. What’s your favorite car sound and why? Whether it’s the whirr of a V12 starter motor, the ground-shaking roar of a nitro dragster, the clink of a gated shifter, or something else entirely, we want to know.
(Photo credits:
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
What’s The Lowest Price You’ll Sell Your Car For?
-
What Was Your Last Rental Car And How Was It?
-
How Are You Making Yourself A Better Driver? Autopian Asks
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
787bees in a can at 200mph.
Also, the Elan motorsports modified Ford Modular V8 that went into a bunch of Panoz cars in the early 2000’s.
A BMW S50 in race spec.
Had to think back….
I’d put the Matra V-12 in the Ligier F-1 cars at the top of the list. Unearthly.
The sound of 33 Offenhausers at Indy was intoxicating, too.
My GT350, the sound it makes is more then half the reason I bought it. A Top Fuel Dragster is a life changing experience the first time you hear/feel them go by at full throttle.
Whenever I come across a GT350, I can’t help but think that that glorious sound alone would have made Carroll Shelby himself happy.
I’m not a huge fan of modern Mustangs, but I will gladly admit that the sound of a GT350 wide open is just magical.
I will second that! One of the main deciding factors for me buying my GT350 was the sound!
This is why I love this community. Everyone has different opinions, and not a single bad or wrong answer to be found. Everyone is on point for COTD as far as I am concerned.
Ferrari V8s getting wound out are stunning noises.
The intake howl of my SVT Contour was intoxicating when the secondaries opened.
But there is something about the noises made when a light and precise manual shifter is moving from gear to gear. It’s a purely mechanical noise and I miss it deeply.
A sound I appreciate that I don’t hear as often as I’d like is the soft thud of a well-insulated door. Unfortunately, I don’t drive luxury vehicles often enough to be accustomed to hearing it regularly.
I agree, this is a good one for sure. That satisfying thud is incredible.
I like VRENNNN!-deda-deda-deda-deda, but also brrrvvv-dudududududu. And let’s not forget DJEEUWOOOO-DJUOOOOO-DJUOOO-DJUUUUHVVVVRRR brbrbrbrbrb and PLOWbuddabuddabudda.
That’s a tough question.. turbo spool/blowoff is always fun but I also love the burble of a Subaru boxer, the lope of an American V8 or the sewing-machine-like chatter of an old straight 6. But then you also can’t dismiss the satisfying notch of a nice shifter going in gear, the rhythmic click of an indicator or the ticking sound of a hot exhaust cooling down.. I guess really I like any sound that lets you in on the mechanical process going on is nice to me.
It’s a HUGE reason I’m not an EV fan, I don’t want synthetic noises, I want to hear the actual machine working around me.
Silly perhaps compared with a lot of these, but the gear whine that comes from the Focus’ MTX-75 manual transmission.
Not obtrusive, but satisfyingly “I’m motoring” in nature.
I love the fart-adjacent sound of settling into leather seats, accompanied by the jangle of keys. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate.
I like the leather fart too! So comfortable.
it’s a choice of two:
These are obviously very equivalent sounds and performance levels
This is pretty unoriginal of me but you should do the same question but visuals next week/soon. I’d love to see what people like, we have so many varied tastes.
The idle of just about any transit bus. Orions are my favorite. Rode MAN articulated buses in my younger days and they made some kind of whirring sound that was quite soothing.
The high-pitched whee of my Saab’s Turbo as it spun up and the pressure relief valve kicked in.
The turn signal on my Polestar, sounds like someone is tapping on a heavy glass, feels solid like the rest of the car.
From an engine perspective, an air cooled VW engine, nothing else sounds like it, you can identify it from a mile away.
I love the sound of any 4 cylinder with a giant fart can exhaust system
/s
I don’t know which specific sounds I enjoy most. A friend of mine and I stand outside our workplace for at least 15 minutes chatting at the end of every work day. We work right next to a pretty major road. At least half our conversation is commentary on cars going by. I hear lots of things I like during that part of my day, and we talk about each of them. But yeah, I really like car noises.
Big 6’s (think Porsche) and V8s letting off throttle after a hard pull burbuhbhrbblblblb. There is a limit – I’m looking at you, Mr. Black 5.0 Mustang cruising around here lately. You just never shut up.
A close second is probably the Doppler effect and shifting of spec Miata races. weeeeeeEEEEE*blip*EEEEeeeoooo
I still make the sounds and I am not ashamed.
Obviously, the burble of a V8, especially with a “hot for teacher” cam, but besides that I also really like the starter noise of old Chrysler V8’s.
Came here to say this. The “hot for teacher” potato potato potato potato.
Two-tone air horns. It’s a happy sound.
Fox body mustang with Flowmasters. 350Z with an exhaust. Cammed GM big block. Any V-10.
This is the way.
I thought any v10 until I drove a 2nd gen dodge with the v10 today. With the stock exhaust it sounds exceedingly lame, which was extremely disappointing.
It’s an LFA at redline, followed closely by a lumpy cam idling at a red light.
Adjacent to one of yours, I still recall, like 5 years ago, coming up to a Pontiac G8 at a light. Owner had clearly replaced the cams, as emanating from the car was an amazing lopey, uneven cadence that immediately brought to mind when we first meet Max in the original, and he starts up his pursuit special to go after the Night Rider.
I would say maybe a hot cammed big block v8 at idle.
Turbo spool. I let out a shit eating grin every time I hear it
General turbo whine and that blow-off sound is one of my favourites to hear (but not so much the sound of a big diesel).
The mechanical rattle of a Ducati dry clutch would make a very close-second.