I love old cars (and I’m talking Clive Cussler’s 1936 Pierce-Arrow,) going to the races, and drooling over the entries in local car shows. If we’re talking modern vehicles, though, I swoon over poetic aerodynamics and aesthetics and a modern take on 1950s paint colors like baby blue and gold.
Today’s conversation will be about cars similar to the BMW M8, your basic performance car, except that there’s nothing basic about it. I, personally, could snap up any one of three similar cars: the Aston Martin DBS (I love a classic Aston Martin,) the Ferrari 458, or the Lamborghini Huracan (I’ll take any ‘Ghini, though.)
Talk about poetic, and the 0-60 is impressive. These are cars similar to the BMW M8.
Gas-Powered Cars
1. Chevy Tried To Match Their Corvette Z06 To Ferrari And Lamborghini With 670 HP And 0 To 60 In 3.3. How Does It Compare To A BMW M8?
The BMW M8 does 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds with 617 horsepower. It sits low to the ground, slicing through the air so that the air flows around the sides of the car and over the top of the cabin. While the ‘Vette is similar in design, I think the spoiler on the back is an unnecessary affectation that cramps the aerodynamics.
The 2023 ‘Vette is a two-seater, gas-powered vehicle that begins at around $90K, although the price hasn’t yet been announced. The 5.5L V-8 engine, behind the driver, gets 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.
By comparison, the 2022 four-seater, gas-powered BMW M8’s 4.4L V-8 engine gets 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. It starts at $131,000.
2. Mercedes Enters The Game With Their AMG GT R Roadster Whose 577 HP Does 0 To 60 In 3.3. That’s Not Even Close To The BMW M8
Both cars sit low to the ground with the grille and the sides of the vehicle designed to slice through the air. Not much air will get beneath either car, which increases the vehicle’s downward control. The cabin roof isn’t high enough on either car to interfere with the aerodynamics.
Again, the spoiler on the back of the Mercedes doesn’t do much good towards the car’s passage through the air.
The 2019 Mercedes AMG GT R is a two-seater, gas-powered auto that begins at $148,000. Its 4.0L V-8 engine gets 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
The roadster isn’t too far off the 2022 BMW M8 gas-powered 4.4L V-8 engine, which gets a little less gas mileage at 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. The prices are a little more competitive.
3. Perhaps It Isn’t Fair To Compare The Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2’s 580 HP With 0 to 60 In 3.2 To Anything Else. Here’s How It Stacks Up
The 2016 to 2019 Lamborghini Huracan is the ultimate performance vehicle. The lowest on the ground of any performance car, its aerodynamic design was meant to leave everything else in the dust. P
erformance was enhanced with strategically placed air intakes and spoiler plates, the engine was placed in the middle of the vehicle, and the power was automatically switched towards the back wheels.
This baby is a two-seater, gas-powered car with a V-10 engine that gets 13.4 mpg city and 25.8 highway. I could only find the price for a 2018 ‘Ghini Hurucan, which was $199,800.
Now for the unfair comparison: the 2022 BMW M8 is way better priced, has four seats, and gets somewhat comparable gas mileage. The Lamborghini engine, though, as previously written, leaves everything else in the dust.
4. Of Course, A Ferrari 458 Is As Fast As It Looks: Its 562 HP V-8 Engine Does 0 To 60 In 3.4. BMW Does Better, But Hey, It’s A Ferrari
Between 2009 and 2015, Ferrari produced their 458 models. It looks much like a Corvette used to look – low to the ground, with a slight bump as far as the cabin roof goes, but the aerodynamics management comes in the form of side air intakes and an underbody that’s flat.
The whole design was meant to cut air resistance to nothing so that speed is effortless, something for which Ferrari is famous.
The Ferrari 458 is a two-seater, gas-powered car whose 562 V-8 engine gets 13 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. Prices begin at $135,000 for a used model on Autotrader but expect to pay up to and including $250,000 anywhere else.
The 2022 BMW M8 gas-powered 4.4L V-8 engine gets better gas mileage at 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. The prices are considerably less.
5. There’s A Reason Some Folks Won’t Drive Anything Other Than A 4L 502 HP Porsche 911 GT3. It Has BMW’s 0 to 60 Beat
By 2.7, to be exact. The Porsche 911 has always been a performance car, even on the roads. The latest 911 GT3 models include a race car’s front suspension control arm and special Michelin tires that give the car a heckuva grip on corners.
As mentioned above, I’m not a fan of the back wing, but it appears to aid in aerodynamics better than your basic spoiler.
The Porsche 911 GT3 comes in either automatic or manual. The two-seater, gas-powered car gets 15 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. If you choose a manual transmission, the city number falls to 14 mpg. Depending on which transmission you choose, expect to pay between $164,000 to $197,000.
By comparison, the 2022 four-seater, gas-powered BMW M8 gets comparable mileage, although its 0 to 60 exceeds the Porsche by a couple of points. It costs less, too.
6. Maserati Joins The 2023 Lineup Of Butt-Kicking Cars With Its 621 HP 0 to 60 In 3.2 MC20 Cielo Spyder. So Far, BMW Shouldn’t Worry
It’s all about the take-off: it’s not in the g-forces of a military plane, but still impressive for something on the asphalt. Today’s performance cars are borrowing aspects of Formula 1 racing cars in their powerful transmissions, race car handling, and suspension. Maserati complies with these for a teeth-jarring takeoff.
Maserati hasn’t published the Cielo Spyder’s price yet, but you can bet on paying around $250,000. Driving this aerodynamic two-seater masterpiece on the road will get you 15 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
Since we’re talking about 0 to 60, the BMW M8 holds its own. It’s a four-seater, gas-powered vehicle whose 4.4L V-8 engine gets 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. The price is lower by $120,000.
7. The McLaren 720S Performance Spider. ‘Nuff Said.
McLaren manages all that power with a mid-placed 4L V-8 710 HP engine in a Formula 1 frame that sticks to the road like a magnet. The aerodynamics admirably handle the car’s top speed of 212 with a 0 to 60 in 2.6. All this insane power is expertly contained in an equally insanely aerodynamic design.
No one would dream of driving a two-seater McLaren 720S Performance Spider anywhere as mundane as a job. Thus, EPA statistics aren’t available, but Car and Driver estimate 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Look for a $323,340 price tag.
As comparisons go, the BMW M8 holds its own. The four-seater, gas-powered vehicle offers somewhat fewer horses, but it gets 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. Those are the only comparable specs, though, because the Beemer is leagues cheaper at $131,000.
8. Want Your Own Personalized Italian-Built Version Of The BMW M8 That Will Do 0 To 60 In 2.7 From A 7.3L V-12 Mercedes Engine Built From The Ground Up? Then This Is How You Do It
For ten years, from 1999 to 2009, Italian car producer Horacio Pagani contracted with Mercedes to put their V-12 engines in his creations. There are only 200 Pagani cars in the world, and most of them are one-off creations built to the specifications of the buyers. That should tell you how rare and wondrous these cars are.
Zonda, the Pagani brand of car, is not built for racing or compliance with pretty much anyone or anything. Thus, it can be built to any specs that appeal to its buyer. You’ll find a great example of the auto in the 2009 Zonda R.
Built to look much like a space-age Corvette, its two-seater LeMans-inspired auto body features a roll cage, frame, and suspension along with other aerodynamic elements. The Zonda R’s mid-placed Mercedes engine generates a killer 739 HP to reach its max speed of 233 mph.
If you took it on the road, it would get 11 mpg city and 17 highway. All this could be yours for a cool $1.5 million.
I’ve written before that there was little comparison of a certain car to the BMW M8. With this amazing Zonda R, there really is little comparison. The BMW’s considerably less horsepower gives the car a little more mileage than the Zonda R, and its price is somewhat more manageable.
9. What Looks Like A Sedan But Takes Off Like A Rocket? The 2023 Audi RS7s 4L V-8 Engine Has 591 HP To Make It So
Rear-wheel drive is less common than 4WD. It does have its benefits, though, such as giving the driver more control on those tight turns (I’ve made enough corners on two wheels delivering food fast to appreciate this element.)
\Pair that little jewel with an engine that directs its power to those wheels during take-off, so to speak, and you have a contender for the BMW M8 0 to 60 stakes.
In this model, you’ll have a comfortable cabin with some of the techs no one can do without. That’s about as far as the four to five-seat “sedan” look goes, though. The sheer power of an Audi RS7 will scare most drivers silly, and that’s just at the usual 55 mph speed limit (it made me feel that way when I drove one.)
You can physically feel it wanting to cut loose. It will fly with a 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway rating under its belt.
You can expect to pay around $120,000 for the gas-powered 2023 Audi RS7. It’s comparable to the 2022 BMW M8 pretty much across the board, even including in the price.
10. With A 715HP 5.2L V-12 Engine In The 2022 Aston Martin DBS, We Can Understand Why Experts Call The 0 To 60 In 3.2 Acceleration “Brutal.”
For me, an Aston Martin will always be the 1970 DB5, sleek and streamlined with plenty of personality. On the other hand, the throaty roar of the 2022 DBS V-12 engine blurring past on the highway could change my mind.
The four-seater, gas-powered vehicle is said to reach a speed of 211 mph, although the DBS is better suited to those who drive less on the Daytona track than on Fifth Avenue.
Looking more like a sedan than a close-to-the-ground, aerodynamically styled performance car, this Aston Martin concentrates more on a comfortable interior than cornering like a boss. It can be ordered in bespoke interiors and can be otherwise customized to your heart’s content.
The thing is that the twin-turbocharged V-12 engine will take off from under you with a 0 to 60 count of 3.2. That’s why experts call this kind of power “brutal.” It’s not particularly fuel-efficient, but you don’t buy an Aston Martin for fuel efficiency.
The car gets 14 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Prices begin at $319,125.
BMWs are great, but compared to an Aston Martin (drool,) about the only comparable items are the mileage and the price. You can get a just-as-fast-at-takeoff BMW M8 for almost $200,000 less.
Electric Cars
11. Electric Cars Don’t Have The Growl And Roar Of A Gas-Powered Engine, But BMWs Electric M8 CSL Might Leave The Competition In The Dust
There are only rumors and spy shots of BMWs newest 2022 electric version of the M8 performance car. Rear intake vents and side window vents are a little odd if a 700 HP mid-located gas engine isn’t in the picture. However, the CSL, according to the rumors, could pack a 700 HP punch with a 3L inline-six and two electric motors in the back.
If this is the case, then the M8 CSL could possibly do the 0 to 60 thing in 2.8. Few pictures exist, but from what there is so far, we have a sedan-looking vehicle with those odd vents and a somewhat less than aerodynamic design with the exception of a low-to-the-ground build.
Not a fan of the rear wing, but it appears to aid in aerodynamics. The CSL is rumored to have its back seats removed. Prices haven’t been published yet, but rumor has it that the M8 CSL could start at $200,000.
12. The Only Real Competition To The BMW M8 CSL Is Tesla’s Model S. How Do 1020 HP And 0 To 60 In 2.1 Grab Ya?
Tesla is known for eye-popping innovation, reasonable prices, as well as being known for its performance cars. The Model S is noticeably different. The four-seater sedan looks range and power are entirely thanks to its three electric motors, two of which are specifically dedicated to each axle.
The battery pack stretches from front to rear for a well-balanced center of gravity. The driver has more control than if he drove a gas-powered performance car.
The low-to-the-ground look is the only nod toward its gas-powered performance car cousins’ aerodynamic design. With an estimated 390 miles per charge range, though, the blast-out-of-the-gate aerodynamics of the car’s design matter less than being tested out at 121 city and 112 highway. Prices begin at $106,440.
I would say that comparison is a no-brainer with the only caveats being Tesla’s power and price beating BMW CSL to the punch.
Related: 9 Cars Similar to Tesla Model S
13. Did You Think I Wouldn’t Include The Ultimate In Performance Cars, The Near 2000 HP 0 To 60 In Less Than 3 2022 Lotus Evija?
No performance car list is complete without mentioning the Lotus. Unfortunately, it isn’t street-legal in America, but we can always admire the insanely aerodynamic (despite the rear wing) design. The four electric motors generate 1972 HP that pushes the aerospace-designed hyper-car to over 200 mph.
It’s the first car ever anywhere to use laser lights for both high and low beams. The charging technology allows the car to charge as quickly as you’d put gas in a regular car: a full charge only takes nine minutes. It does 250 miles between charges.
There’s no information on the car’s city and highway mileage. Get real, though. No one’s going to be driving this car anywhere but on the Autobahn. Only 130 Evijas will be produced, with a price tag of over $2M. Buyers are expected to put down “earnest money” in the amount of $311,000.
