In a world obsessed with electrification and carbon neutrality, something rather extraordinary is happening. While mainstream manufacturers are busy showing off their latest battery-powered crossovers, three absolutely bonkers companies have decided to build new cars with V10 engines. Yes, you read that right. V10s. In 2025. Now, before you rush to your local dealership with a blank check, I should mention that these aren't exactly daily drivers. They're more like Saudi prince shopping list material. But good lord, what magnificent machines they are. First though, we need to talk about why this matters. You see, the V10 engine has always been a bit special. Unlike the V8, which became the everyman's performance engine, or the V12, which was the choice of luxury brands, the V10 was always a bit... odd. It was like the crazy uncle of the engine family - brilliant but slightly unhinged. In 1991, Dodge looked at this massive truck engine and thought, "You know what? Let's stick this in a sports car." And thus, the Viper was born, with its enormous 8.0-liter V10 producing what was then an earth-shattering 400 horsepower. This kicked off what we might call the Golden Age of the V10. Volkswagen, of all companies, stuffed one in their Touareg SUV, because apparently someone in Wolfsburg had a fantastic sense of humor. BMW created the E60 M5's V10, an engine so spectacular it could have been composed by Mozart. And then there were the Italians - Lamborghini made the V10 their signature with the Gallardo and later the Huracán, while their corporate cousins at Audi created the R8, essentially a German Lamborghini (which is exactly as brilliant as it sounds). But now, those days are gone. The Huracán has bowed out, replaced by the hybrid V8 Revuelto. The R8 has disappeared entirely. The V10 era, it seemed, was over. Except it wasn't. Because three companies have decided to give the V10 one last, absolutely mental hurrah. 3. The De Tomaso P900 V10 Let's start with what might be the most Italian approach to building a car ever. De Tomaso wants to build a V12-powered hypercar, but the engine isn't ready yet. So what did they do? They called up Judd (yes, the F1 engine builders) and said, "Give us a V10 while we wait." The result is a car that weighs just 900 kilograms (that's where the P900 name comes from, for those of you paying attention) and produces 764 horsepower from a V10 that's basically a modernized version of the engine from the 1997 Benetton Formula 1 car. Only 18 will be made, each costing $3 million, and here's the kicker - it's just a stopgap until the "real" engine is ready. That's right - this is what De Tomaso considers a temporary solution. 2. The Red Bull RB17 If you've ever watched Formula 1 and thought, "I wonder what these cars would be like without all those pesky rules," well, Adrian Newey had the same thought. And since he's arguably the greatest F1 designer in history, he actually got to find out. The RB17 is what happens when you take everything that's banned in F1 and put it all in one car. It has a double fan-blown diffuser (banned). It has flexible side skirts (very banned). It has 1,200 horsepower (extremely banned). Only 50 will be built, and each one is essentially an F1 car that's been freed from the rulebook. It's so extreme that Lanzante is already working on making it road legal, which is a bit like trying to domesticate a tiger - technically possible, but probably missing the point entirely. 1. The Rodin FZERO And finally, we come to what might be the maddest of them all. Rodin, a company from New Zealand that recently tried (and failed) to enter Formula 1, has created what can only be described as automotive insanity. The FZERO looks like the lovechild of a Batmobile and an F1 car, and its specs read like a wish list from a hyperactive 12-year-old who's had too much Red Bull.Its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V10 is supplemented by a hybrid system to produce 1,159 horsepower. It revs to 10,000 rpm - a figure that would make most race engines blush. It generates 8,818 pounds of downforce, which means that, theoretically, it could drive upside down in a tunnel. The transmission weighs just 146 pounds, which is about the same as a professional wrestler's leg. They're only making 27, and each one will be customized to its owner's specifications, because apparently some people might want their instrument of chaos to be even more extreme. So there we have it. Three final, glorious examples of what happens when engineers stop worrying about practical considerations like "why" and focus entirely on "why not." They're expensive, they're impractical, and they make absolutely no sense in today's world. And that's exactly why they're perfect. Because sometimes, just sometimes, it's worth doing something not because it's sensible, but because it's spectacular. These three cars are the last dance of the V10, and by god, what a way to go out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go sell my house. And my kidneys. And possibly my soul. I hear there's a V10 hypercar with my name on it.
