R-34
07-14-2003, 11:20 PM
horsepower war this it
Pop quiz: Which has the most horsepower: the latest Subaru sedan, Acura's $90,000 NSX or Nissan's newly reborn 350Z?
Answer: The Subaru.
Surprised? It's true. Right now you can go down to your local Subaru store and buy the new all-wheel-drive WRX STi sport sedan complete with its 300-hp turbocharged engine. That's only 50 fewer horsepower than a Corvette. Now, if normally mild-mannered manufacturer Subaru is building and selling super-potent rockets, you may wonder what the traditional power players are offering--now and in the near future.
A double dose of V8, the engine in the Sixteen is a 2-valve-per-cylinder pushrod.
Tweaks and displacement are the secrets to its prodigious output.
Sophisticated electronics permit it to run on four, eight or all of its 16 cylinders.
Quite simply, there is a worldwide horsepower war under way. Everything from economy sedans to big-buck exotics and one-off concept cars are marching into battle armed with 300, 400, 500 and more horsepower. And if you have the nerve--and in many cases the money--to enlist, you can be the lucky participant driving a car with more muscle than anything that ever inspired a Beach Boys song.
A Grand For Openers
It isn't even a contest. The most powerful, ambitious and expensive megamotor machine will soon come from Bugatti, now owned by Volkswagen. The new Bugatti will be the most powerful street car ever made. The EB 16-4 Veyron will produce 1001 hp from an 8.0-liter V16 with 64 valves, eight camshafts and four turbochargers. For the record, company officials claim it accelerates from 0 to186 mph in 14 seconds and tops out at 251 mph. Want one? The price will be $2 million per. Just one more reason to play Power Ball.
Coming in second in the power race, and not necessarily slated for production, is the Cadillac Sixteen. This concept car, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will be the world's most powerful sedan if GM decides to build it. Under the hood is a hulking 32-valve 13.6-liter (830-cu.-in.) V16 that makes 1000 hp and 1000 ft.-lb. of torque. This engine has GM's Displacement on Demand system, which can configure it to run on four, eight or all 16 cylinders.
While the Bugatti isn't yet for sale and the Sixteen probably never will be, you can buy a Ferrari Enzo right now--if you really need the power and happen to have $670,000 or so in disposable cash. This limited-edition exotic has the distinct honor of being the most powerful production car in the world. Thanks to the 6.0-liter V12 mounted amidships, the Enzo makes 660 hp and 485 ft.-lb. of torque. Enzo production has been limited to 399 cars and, according to Ferrari, every one has been spoken for. In case you're not one of the lucky few, consider the Enzo's kid brother, the Ferrari 575M Maranello. It's a relative bargain--at $240,000--though it has only a 508-hp 5.75-liter V12.
Falling somewhere between the Enzo and the Maranello is Lamborghini's Murciélago. This $273,000 exotic packs a V12, bolted behind your head, that sends 580 hp and 479 ft.-lb. of torque to all four wheels. This 6.2-liter monster is the largest Lamborghini V12 ever and features variable cam phasing, drive by wire and a variable-geometry intake manifold. This adds up to 30 more horsepower than its predecessor, the Diablo, and a top speed well north of 200 mph.
But what if you need to carry some passengers at these subsonic speeds? There's a new breed of super-potent sedans available. And leading the pack is the Maybach with 550 hp. Engineered by Mercedes-Benz, the Maybach has an all-aluminum 5.5-liter 36-valve V12 with twin turbochargers. Even the short-wheelbase version of the Maybach weighs nearly 3 tons, so its stupefying 664 ft.-lb. of torque at 2300 rpm is even more important than the horsepower.
Not counting the Maybach, Mercedes-Benz has more than a half-dozen different models that make more than 450 hp. At the very top of that list, in price and performance, are the SL600, CL600 and S600. These three flagship models each have what is essentially a detuned version of the Maybach V12. Serving duty in the Mercedes-Benz, the engine makes 493 hp and an earthmoving 590 ft.-lb. of torque way down at 1800 rpm. One-half notch lower on the Mercedes power ladder are the hand-assembled, supercharged AMG V8 cars. The E55 AMG, SL55 AMG, CL55 AMG and S55 AMG all pack the same 5.4-liter V8 that in most cases matches the V12's horsepower output with 493. But it can't equal the bigger motor's torque, making a mere 516 ft.-lb. An added bonus is that these cars provide a lusty V8 rumble from the dual exhausts.
Bentley, like Bugatti, is owned by VW. The first fruit of that marriage will be the Continental GT. Beneath the GT's tombstone-size grille is a 6.0-liter version of VW's W12 engine. However, for this superduty application, the W12 is force-fed by two turbos and cranks out a full 552 hp.
Don't leave Rolls-Royce off your shopping list. Its new owner, BMW, has created the flagship Phantom, an ultraluxury sedan that has all the presence of an Abrams tank. For the Phantom, the V12 engine that BMW uses in lesser applications, like its 7 Series, grew to Rolls-Royce's traditional 6.75-liter capacity. Its output is a healthy 453 hp and 413 ft.-lb.
You would expect a Porsche Turbo to make serious power--even if it is an SUV. The new Cayenne Turbo doesn't disappoint with 450 hp and 457 ft.-lb. of torque, making it the fastest and most powerful SUV you can buy. Porsche traditionalists can get even more oomph in the 911 GT2. That's basically a rear-wheel-drive Porsche Turbo that cranks out 456 hp (41 more than the regular Turbo) from a modest 3.6-liter flat Six. Then there's the company's upcoming Carrera GT supercar. It will produce 603 hp from Porsche's first V10.
Unless you're visiting from one of Jupiter's moons, you know the Dodge Viper makes 500 hp. But you may not be aware that Dodge recently unveiled its Ram SRT-10 pickup. This truck uses the Viper's 500-hp V10. Dodge cranked up the torque to 525 ft.-lb.
Not to be outdone in the power pickup class, the Ford SVT Lightning Concept, shown at the Detroit Auto Show, also tips the horsepower meter at 500. And the Ford folks have no intention of limiting the power to trucks. Witness the Ford 427. This possible future model has a rather conservative sedan shell and, as its name suggests, 427 cu. in. of Detroit muscle in the form of a DOHC V10 with 590 hp and 509 ft.-lb. of torque. Inside the engine you'll find forged pistons, modified aluminum 4-valve-per-cylinder Mustang Cobra R heads, billet rods and crank, and hollow-stem valves. Impressively, it weighs 70 pounds less than the 5.4-liter V8 in the Cobra R.
popularmechanics.com
Pop quiz: Which has the most horsepower: the latest Subaru sedan, Acura's $90,000 NSX or Nissan's newly reborn 350Z?
Answer: The Subaru.
Surprised? It's true. Right now you can go down to your local Subaru store and buy the new all-wheel-drive WRX STi sport sedan complete with its 300-hp turbocharged engine. That's only 50 fewer horsepower than a Corvette. Now, if normally mild-mannered manufacturer Subaru is building and selling super-potent rockets, you may wonder what the traditional power players are offering--now and in the near future.
A double dose of V8, the engine in the Sixteen is a 2-valve-per-cylinder pushrod.
Tweaks and displacement are the secrets to its prodigious output.
Sophisticated electronics permit it to run on four, eight or all of its 16 cylinders.
Quite simply, there is a worldwide horsepower war under way. Everything from economy sedans to big-buck exotics and one-off concept cars are marching into battle armed with 300, 400, 500 and more horsepower. And if you have the nerve--and in many cases the money--to enlist, you can be the lucky participant driving a car with more muscle than anything that ever inspired a Beach Boys song.
A Grand For Openers
It isn't even a contest. The most powerful, ambitious and expensive megamotor machine will soon come from Bugatti, now owned by Volkswagen. The new Bugatti will be the most powerful street car ever made. The EB 16-4 Veyron will produce 1001 hp from an 8.0-liter V16 with 64 valves, eight camshafts and four turbochargers. For the record, company officials claim it accelerates from 0 to186 mph in 14 seconds and tops out at 251 mph. Want one? The price will be $2 million per. Just one more reason to play Power Ball.
Coming in second in the power race, and not necessarily slated for production, is the Cadillac Sixteen. This concept car, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will be the world's most powerful sedan if GM decides to build it. Under the hood is a hulking 32-valve 13.6-liter (830-cu.-in.) V16 that makes 1000 hp and 1000 ft.-lb. of torque. This engine has GM's Displacement on Demand system, which can configure it to run on four, eight or all 16 cylinders.
While the Bugatti isn't yet for sale and the Sixteen probably never will be, you can buy a Ferrari Enzo right now--if you really need the power and happen to have $670,000 or so in disposable cash. This limited-edition exotic has the distinct honor of being the most powerful production car in the world. Thanks to the 6.0-liter V12 mounted amidships, the Enzo makes 660 hp and 485 ft.-lb. of torque. Enzo production has been limited to 399 cars and, according to Ferrari, every one has been spoken for. In case you're not one of the lucky few, consider the Enzo's kid brother, the Ferrari 575M Maranello. It's a relative bargain--at $240,000--though it has only a 508-hp 5.75-liter V12.
Falling somewhere between the Enzo and the Maranello is Lamborghini's Murciélago. This $273,000 exotic packs a V12, bolted behind your head, that sends 580 hp and 479 ft.-lb. of torque to all four wheels. This 6.2-liter monster is the largest Lamborghini V12 ever and features variable cam phasing, drive by wire and a variable-geometry intake manifold. This adds up to 30 more horsepower than its predecessor, the Diablo, and a top speed well north of 200 mph.
But what if you need to carry some passengers at these subsonic speeds? There's a new breed of super-potent sedans available. And leading the pack is the Maybach with 550 hp. Engineered by Mercedes-Benz, the Maybach has an all-aluminum 5.5-liter 36-valve V12 with twin turbochargers. Even the short-wheelbase version of the Maybach weighs nearly 3 tons, so its stupefying 664 ft.-lb. of torque at 2300 rpm is even more important than the horsepower.
Not counting the Maybach, Mercedes-Benz has more than a half-dozen different models that make more than 450 hp. At the very top of that list, in price and performance, are the SL600, CL600 and S600. These three flagship models each have what is essentially a detuned version of the Maybach V12. Serving duty in the Mercedes-Benz, the engine makes 493 hp and an earthmoving 590 ft.-lb. of torque way down at 1800 rpm. One-half notch lower on the Mercedes power ladder are the hand-assembled, supercharged AMG V8 cars. The E55 AMG, SL55 AMG, CL55 AMG and S55 AMG all pack the same 5.4-liter V8 that in most cases matches the V12's horsepower output with 493. But it can't equal the bigger motor's torque, making a mere 516 ft.-lb. An added bonus is that these cars provide a lusty V8 rumble from the dual exhausts.
Bentley, like Bugatti, is owned by VW. The first fruit of that marriage will be the Continental GT. Beneath the GT's tombstone-size grille is a 6.0-liter version of VW's W12 engine. However, for this superduty application, the W12 is force-fed by two turbos and cranks out a full 552 hp.
Don't leave Rolls-Royce off your shopping list. Its new owner, BMW, has created the flagship Phantom, an ultraluxury sedan that has all the presence of an Abrams tank. For the Phantom, the V12 engine that BMW uses in lesser applications, like its 7 Series, grew to Rolls-Royce's traditional 6.75-liter capacity. Its output is a healthy 453 hp and 413 ft.-lb.
You would expect a Porsche Turbo to make serious power--even if it is an SUV. The new Cayenne Turbo doesn't disappoint with 450 hp and 457 ft.-lb. of torque, making it the fastest and most powerful SUV you can buy. Porsche traditionalists can get even more oomph in the 911 GT2. That's basically a rear-wheel-drive Porsche Turbo that cranks out 456 hp (41 more than the regular Turbo) from a modest 3.6-liter flat Six. Then there's the company's upcoming Carrera GT supercar. It will produce 603 hp from Porsche's first V10.
Unless you're visiting from one of Jupiter's moons, you know the Dodge Viper makes 500 hp. But you may not be aware that Dodge recently unveiled its Ram SRT-10 pickup. This truck uses the Viper's 500-hp V10. Dodge cranked up the torque to 525 ft.-lb.
Not to be outdone in the power pickup class, the Ford SVT Lightning Concept, shown at the Detroit Auto Show, also tips the horsepower meter at 500. And the Ford folks have no intention of limiting the power to trucks. Witness the Ford 427. This possible future model has a rather conservative sedan shell and, as its name suggests, 427 cu. in. of Detroit muscle in the form of a DOHC V10 with 590 hp and 509 ft.-lb. of torque. Inside the engine you'll find forged pistons, modified aluminum 4-valve-per-cylinder Mustang Cobra R heads, billet rods and crank, and hollow-stem valves. Impressively, it weighs 70 pounds less than the 5.4-liter V8 in the Cobra R.
popularmechanics.com