I've seen some 180-degree V-8's, mostly in dirt-track modified cars. The torque is awesome, but it's a terribly pricey modification, involving a special crankshaft, cam, and distributor. You're right about the exhaust note, it's unmistakeable once you'ver heard one run!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!