Naturally Aspirated Performance Engines Still Available in 2025

Whether a high-revving four-cylinder like Honda’s K20 or a mighty V8 like you’d find in the Corvette of the day, performance engines in the mid-2000s were largely untouched by forced induction. From Honda Civic Si to BMW M5 to Infiniti G35 to Porsche 911, automakers of the day were becoming experts at enhancing production engines by making them spin faster and breathe more easily than ever. Naturally aspirated gasoline engines were entering their golden era, giving shoppers plenty of selection as automakers flexed engineering muscle on the world stage with some truly memorable powerplants.

Fast forward to 2025, and many of the most popular free-breathing engines of the past few decades have been replaced by downsized and turbocharged engines that are more powerful and easier on fuel. Below, we’ll check in with the automakers who are still building naturally aspirated performance engines for models you can buy in 2025, including a few that are relatively affordable (and a few that aren’t).

Chevrolet

6.2-Liter V8 / 5.5-Liter V8

Chevrolet has two naturally aspirated performance engines to choose from, and they’re both V8s. The first is the standard-kit engine for the Corvette C8 Stingray, a proven 6.2-liter unit with the better part of 500 horsepower engineered to give twice-the-price competitors a headache. If that’s not enough to give you goosebumps, consider the shrieking 5.5-liter V8 with flat-plane crank that takes center stage in the Corvette Z06. This high-revving V8 gives drivers an exotic new twist on the conventional Corvette experience.

Ferrari

6.5-liter V12

There’s perhaps no automaker as synonymous with the V12 engine as Ferrari. Technological advances in recent generations have reduced the need for 12-cylinder engines, many of which have been replaced by hybrid and/or turbocharged six- or eight-cylinder engines, even in Ferrari’s own lineup. Still, there’s just something special about a free-breathing V12 engine up front, and Ferrari will still sell you one in models like the Purosangue and 12Cilindri for the 2025 model year. It’s codenamed F140HD, and the 6.5-liter unit spins to a 9,500 RPM redline while delivering 819 horsepower to the rear wheels of the 12Cilindri. You need to hear this one in action.

Related

The Mid-Engine Sports Car With Toyota Reliability That’s A Steal In 2025

Think you can’t afford a mid-engine sports car? Think again. And this one packs one of the most reliable V6s ever built.

Ford

5-Liter V8

Ford’s 5-liter Coyote V8 first brought the five-point-oh badge back to the Mustang for the 2011 model year, with an impressive 412 free-breathing horsepower on tap. In the years and generations that followed, Ford would tweak and enhance the 5-liter engine to deliver improved power and torque by way of special-edition models and generation-over-generation powertrain updates. Today in 2025, the latest version of Ford’s legendary five-liter V8 gives Mustang GT drivers 480 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque at a compelling price point.

GMA T.33

4-Liter V12

The 2025 Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 was unveiled earlier this year to help automotive legend Gordan Murray celebrate 60 years of designing some of the most successful race cars and coolest road cars of all time. The $1.8-million supercar is sold out already, thanks in no small part to its small, free-breathing V12 engine that sits just above the road, generating 607 horsepower and spinning to an 11,100 RPM redline and making the T.33 the fastest-revving road-legal car in the USA. For a closer look at how that works, be sure to give this a read.

Related

The Most Powerful Inline 6 Engines Ever Made

No horsing around, these ten cars with straight sixes really delivered on the horsepower front.

Lexus

5-Liter V8

Over the past two decades, the Lexus IS has sold more than 1.3 million units. A relatively small number of these were powered by an engine called the 2UR-GSE, aka, the Lexus 5-liter V8. This engine is one of the most proven performance engines on the road, and a powerplant so proud of its natural aspiration that it even opens a flap in its airbox to share the joyous all-motor sound effects with you at full throttle. The IS is the oldest Lexus on sale, and by modern standards, its V8 engine is dated. If you want to check out this one-of-a-kind driving experience yourself, act fast: production will stop later this year, taking the legendary Lexus 5-liter V8 with it.

Related

The End Is Near For The Oldest Lexus Still On Sale

The Lexus IS will join the RC, GS, HS, CT, and SC on the Pursuit Of Perfection scrap heap.

Mazda MX-5

2-Liter I4

Though the Mazda MX-5 Miata was once equipped with a factory turbo engine, the trend didn’t last long, and very few units were built. Instead, Mazda’s famous two-seat convertible has typically found a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine at its core. The latest MX-5 uses a specially configured version of the brand’s Skyactiv four-cylinder engine that’s highly proven and benefits from the latest year-over-year changes. Compact, efficient, and easy to service, the MX-5’s engine is the sportiest take on the naturally aspirated Skyactiv powerplant, and it’s built to breathe more easily and spin faster than its more mainstream counterparts.

Porsche

4-Liter Flat Six

The flat-six engine is one of Porsche’s claims to fame. These days, most of Porsche’s flat-sixes are turbocharged, though the most powerful versions are the only ones to wear the ‘Turbo’ badge. The exception is the brand’s four-liter flat-six. Reserved for duty in some of the most athletic Porsche models, it’ll spin furiously to 9,000 RPM. In the 2025 Porsche 911 GT3, the 4-liter flat-six gets new-this-year optimizations including revised cylinder heads, a new camshaft profile, improved oil coolers and a new throttle butterfly design. To keep things spicy, the final drive ratio has been decreased by eight percent. It’s 500 rear-engine horsepower, delivered on a power curve that revs to the moon.

Related

Every Car Still Available With A Manual Gearbox In 2025

This might be your last chance to purchase a new vehicle with a manual transmission.

Toyota / Subaru

2.4-Liter Flat Four Boxer

Naturally aspirated performance engines are rare, and naturally aspirated flat-configuration performance engines are even more rare. If you’re looking for something in an affordable naturally aspirated performance car that uses a pretty unique engine, the Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ should be on your list. Come for the reasonable pricing and a fast-revving flat-four, stay for the purpose-built rear-drive sports car platform and standard limited-slip rear axle. If you love an angry four-cylinder that works best when spinning fast, you might just fall in love with these machines, which earn both Toyota and Subaru a spot on our list.

Sources: Ford, Lexus, Chevrolet, Porsche