It’s rare to find an exhaust note so emotionally evocative that most people hold it in high esteem. Cars that sound this good don’t come along very often. A few of the exceptions, the Porsche Carrera GT, the Lexus LFA and the Audi RS3, recently came together to film what is arguably one of the best sounding drag races ever. Jason Cammisa explains why and how a new Audi sedan can keep up with one of the world’s best sounding supercars.
For starters, it races the RS3 with its 401 hp (299 kW) against its four-cylinder 306 hp (228 kW) brother, the S4. It is not surprising that the extra cylinder and the extra power result in a clear victory for the RS3. It’s not until another Audi, a heavily modified 1991 200 Quattro 20V, shows up that the RS3 is put out to pasture.
In fact, the tuned 200 covers the quarter mile in just 10.5 seconds. Much closer is the battle between the RS3 and the Lexus LFA that also lined up at the start. Both cars managed to reach the finish line 11.8 seconds after they started. They just do it very differently.
The Audi shoots off the line and takes a commanding lead, but the Lexus pulls it in from 60-100 mph (96-160 km/h) and then finishes seven mph (11.2 km/h) faster when the race ends. From the start, however, they both have one thing in common: a stunning exhaust note. Yet the duet is surpassed when the LFA takes on the Porsche Carrera GT.
The results are again somewhat predictable and the lighter and more powerful Porsche takes off with a clear victory. How come all these cars sound so good to our ears?
Under the hood of the RS3 is a five-cylinder engine, perhaps the last of its kind in a production car. Despite turbocharging, the RS3 manages to sound fantastic and wild. It does so in part because, as with all five-cylinder engines, the actual sound it produces is a perfect fifth, one of the most important harmonies in music.
As Cammisa explains, you double the cylinders and you get a perfect tenth. Combine that with high revs and you get the high-pitched scream we love about the LFA and the Carrera GT.