 Bloggers and car aficionados write that the V8 is a dying breed, and the eco-force would have us feel guilty for driving anything other than a hybrid, but at Ford, Dodge, Chevy, and Audi, the performance car is alive and well, and the 2008 and 2009 model years may be remembered not just for the greening of our garages, but also for a resurgence in modern muscle cars and high performance driving.
 Ford started it, really, with the special Bullitt Mustang they introduced late last year. The body and interior styling are a tribute (the second one Ford's done) to the old Steve McQueen movie Bullitt, but under the hood it's a modern machine, featuring a 4.6 liter, 315 hp V8 engine pushing 325 pounds-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm, and boasting a top speed of 151 mph at the redline, as well as a five-speed manual transmission, and a cold-air intake system, modified chassis, and suspension, all taken directly from cars in Ford's racing division.
Then there's Dodge. Last year they gave us a new Charger. It's already been refreshed for the 2008 model year, with an SRT version that has a Chrysler built 6.1 liter Hemi engine offering 425 horsepower and 420 pounds-feet of torque at 4,800 RPM, though the base model comes with a 2.7 liter V6.  Dodge is also giving us a new Challenger this year. It's got that same 6.1 liter Hemi V8 in the limited edition of the car set to be available this Spring, with a 5.7 liter version planned for the 2009 model-year cars that will be in wider production. The challenger shares a platform with the Charger, and while buyers will have a choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic with "AutoStick" technology, the rear-wheel-drive Challenger doesn't come in a V6 model. It's V8 all the way with this car, which can accelerate from zero to 60mph in roughly 4.5 seconds.
 Coming in 2009, Chevy will be offering us a reworked Camaro. They're already offering a 2008 Corvette Z06 with a 7.0 liter LS7 aluminum-block V8 engine that gives you 505 hp and cranks out 470 pounds-feet of torque. Specs for the Camaro haven't been released, but the concept car offered a V8 engine similar to the high-end Corvette's, and there's a good chance there will be a less expensive V6 model as well.
Finally, lest you think we're ignoring the Europeans, Audi's 2009 TTS (to be rolled out in November) is already making a big splash in the press. Debuting at the Detroit auto show this week, this TTS - the first new TT Audi's developed in ten years - uses direct injection and a raised turbo boost to offer 272 horsepower and 258 pounds-feet of torque, and while that may seem like nothing when compared to the Corvette, for example, consider that Audi's getting those results with an inline-four engine, and that peak torque is available between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm. Charger, Challenger, Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, Mustang and the Audi TTS - they're all cars to watch for during the next year, and to watch out for on the road. As for the V8 engine? It seems to be alive and kicking.
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