Posted on 06/03/2013 4:12:27 PM PDT by jjotto
Petrol heads, continue to rejoice: Car manufacturers have not ignored your cries for high-powered cars and trucks. Despite tightening emissions regulations and rising fuel costs, automakers are building an increasing number of vehicles putting out at least 500 horses.
Based on our research, there are over 80 cars sold in the United States that deliver these burnout-inducing numbers (not including tuners such as Mosler or Callaway). That's up about 10 cars from the list we did last year.
Each automaker takes its own approach to supplying adrenaline junkies with 500-plus hp, whether through massive turbochargers, supercharging, or just sticking to naturally aspirated goodness.
Cars such as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG shun forced induction but can still churn out 563 hp of V8 power.
Then there are cars such as the Nissan GT-R that rely on turbochargers (two in that case) to produce an output of 545 hp from its 3.8-liter V6. The Bugatti Veyron uses four turbochargers to power its 16.4-liter W16 engine to produce 1,200 hp (for the Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse models).
Superchargers power up the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, which pumps out 638 hp from its 6.2-liter V8.
We're also seeing an increasing use of hybrid technology in high-powered supercars, with the forthcoming Porsche 918 Spyder and the Ferrari LaFerrari (not on sale yet) both producing over 850 hp using a combination of electric and gasoline-powered motivation.
Our list features not only cars, but trucks as well, some of which might do surprisingly well on the track. Manufacturers like BMW produce their X5M and X6M models, which both produce 555 hp from a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. Land Rover also produces the supercharged Range Rover, which achieves 510 hp.
Then there are the hyperexotics, such as the Koenigsegg Agera and the Pagani Huayra (pronounced “why-ra”). The Agera reaches Bugatti territory, with its twin turbo 5.0-liter V8 producing an outrageous 1,140 hp. The Huayra, produces 700 hp from its AMG-sourced, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12.
Horsepower does come at a price, though: The cheapest member of the 500 club is the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, stickering at $54,350. For the other cars, you'll have to have even deeper pockets.
Below is our list of the notable production cars that arrive with 500 hp or more. They are organized by horsepower from least to greatest; you'll notice some manufacturers grouped together if they use same engine.
Bask in all of this list's high-powered glory and feel free to sound off below on which ones you want, or already have, in your garage.
500 Club...
Dad dropped the manual trans down on his chest while on a creeper and rolled out with it sitting there to do a rebuild. Do that in my F250 today, and a crane and Care Flight will be involved.
;-)
ha ha!
The falcon was good car for what it was, it just wasn’t the 400hp muscle car of my dreams is all
Jaguars are still on the low end of reliability, but all cars have better reliability these days. Drive it under warranty!
People wonder how Jags and Rovers sell, given their reliability. Nothing matches them for feel and smell. Sitting in ‘em sells ‘em!
It’s a little more than I can afford, but it will be in demand long enough for me to have a little fun before passing it along.
Love the TB SS..
And think of the looks that little sleeper would get off the line!
:-D
Yes the Jags and Rovers could sell themselves, the salesman only had to get you to sit inside.
similar to some muscle car sales transactions which are sealed just as soon as the dealer gets the prospect to stand behind the tailpipe and listen to the ROAR! ha ha
one”cool” feature sells the entire vehicle.
ha ha
A friend bought a new Jag a few years ago and insisted that I come over and drive it. I didn’t want to but it seemed the only way of shutting him up, so I finally went over there and said I would drive it once around the block but he had to back it out of his garage for me because I did not trust myself to back the car into the road. OK, but when he put the key in, his $100,000+ new kitty kat wouldn’t start! just sat there dead as roadkill.
The kid in the tow truck came and hitched it up and made a strong “class warfare” point of crashing the car to the pavement (the house and garage were uphill) as it hit the road.
My friend turned ghost white and never fully recovered.
Back then anyway, Jags had 2 electric petrol pumps... LUCAS ELECTRICS of course... meaning... they would not work, you just knew there’d be trouble with anything so branded.
I guess the Brits couldn’t abide just letting the engine suck the gas forward like in a colonial car
Drop a fully worked from the oil pan to the valve covers dual quad 4 MPG 302 into one of those babies and you’ll have all the ‘muscle’ anyone ever needed. There were two such ‘64 Falcons running around my town back in the day.
a jaguar would seem a great candidate for the very best extended warranty you can get
Liars Club is open...
I bought my 2006 400 HP corvette at 37. I’m 42 now. I had a 1979 trans am before I was 18. Hotrods/muscle cars remain obtainable to anyone with a decent job and a decent credit history and a willingness to make a few sacrifices here and there. I’m thinking about getting an old chevelle next and throwing a blown 454 in it or maybe an older stingray and doing the same thing with it.
There will always be a small group of enthusiasts that will want the hottest cars around.
Right after Carrol Shelby passed away there was a documentary series about him and his cars. The 2012 GT 350 spanked the Porsche, Lambo, and Corvette, and did it for a tiny fraction of the cost. This was on the road course in Las Vegas, not a drag strip.
The Cobra people were road racers, not dragsters. But to this day people don’t believe a Mustang can corner...
so don’t buy one from the dealership. buy it mostly brand new on line and save 30-40% off the sticker price and still have the factory warranty. Don’t start shopping for a corvette in June either. Buy it in the dead of winter. Nobody sells a boat or a vette in the winter unless they need to.
I can tell people a 2006 GT can.
I say Parnelli and Follmer at Mid-Ohio in the late 60s.
They cornered pretty well.
Could be worse. Could be girlfriends that “got away”.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=18000
Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue, Mickey Thompson, Danny Ongais and Peter Revson made them corner very well.
I used to think so too. Then I took my 01 Cobra to the track for a lapping day. The classic race Mustang club was using the lapping day for testing. The Cobra tore up period correct GT 350’s by such a wide margin it surprised me.
The track manager warned us about modern street cars blowing past the vintage racers, I did not believe it.
Your 06 GT would blow Parnelli and company right off the track. The tires and brakes are the biggest difference, but 320 HP SAE net is lots more than the 308 SAE gross used in 1965.
SAE gross HP had the dyno supply coolant and electricity. A water pump and steel fan suck up a lot of ponies.
SAE net is as installed in the car. Mufflers, cat converters, A/C compressor clutch power steering pump etc.
No doubt. The suspensions and tires are so far superior today.
I think I can buy a used Lear cheaper than most of those exotic cars.
And it will of course be faster, and I don’t have to worry about speeding tickets.
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