I’m always wondered. Since a V8 engine from 20 years ago makes rougly the same as a I4 can produce today, how come we aren’t seeing more 500+ hp sports cars?
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Lamborghini Aventador S – 730 hp
Ferrari 488 Pista – 710 hp
Porsche 911 Turbo S – 640 hp
Audi R8 V10 Performance – 602 hp
McLaren 570S – 562 hp
Mercedes-AMG GT R – 577 hp
Nissan GT-R Nismo – 600 hp
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – 650 hp
Dodge Viper ACR – 645 hp
Ford GT – 660 hp
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera – 715 hp
Bentley Continental GT Speed – 650 hp
BMW M8 Competition – 617 hp
Jaguar F-Type SVR – 575 hp
Lexus LC 500 – 471 hp
Lotus Evora GT – 416 hp
Maserati GranTurismo MC – 454 hp
Porsche 911 GT3 RS – 520 hp
Audi RS7 – 591 hp
BMW M5 Competition – 617 hp
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S – 603 hp
Cadillac CTS-V – 640 hp
Dodge Charger Hellcat – 707 hp
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – 650 hp
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – 760 hp
Lamborghini Aventador S – 730 hp
Ferrari 488 Pista – 710 hp
Porsche 911 Turbo S – 640 hp
Audi R8 V10 Performance – 602 hp
McLaren 570S – 562 hp
Mercedes-AMG GT R – 577 hp
Nissan GT-R Nismo – 600 hp
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – 650 hp
Dodge Viper ACR – 645 hp
Ford GT – 660 hp
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera – 715 hp
Bentley Continental GT Speed – 650 hp
BMW M8 Competition – 617 hp
Jaguar F-Type SVR – 575 hp
Lexus LC 500 – 471 hp
Lotus Evora GT – 416 hp
Maserati GranTurismo MC – 454 hp
Porsche 911 GT3 RS – 520 hp
Audi RS7 – 591 hp
BMW M5 Competition – 617 hp
Mercedes-AMG E 63 S – 603 hp
Cadillac CTS-V – 640 hp
Dodge Charger Hellcat – 707 hp
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – 650 hp
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – 760 hp
Cars have broadly become more powerful over the last 30 years. A low end sports car would have something like 150-200 HP 30 years ago. Nowadays 120-150 HP is almost base model for the lowest priced cars.
Having said that, human beings and their driving needs haven’t evolved much in 30 years. The people that know how to handle or come close to “needing” a 500HP car are few and far between.
There are a lot of sports cars that have more than 500 HP. They tend to be expensive. There needs to be a lot of engineering beyond just a more powerful engine to make a car that powerful function well and that includes things like better brakes, tires, suspensions, transmissions etc. So the demand for them is small.
Cars have broadly become more powerful over the last 30 years. A low end sports car would have something like 150-200 HP 30 years ago. Nowadays 120-150 HP is almost base model for the lowest priced cars.
Having said that, human beings and their driving needs haven’t evolved much in 30 years. The people that know how to handle or come close to “needing” a 500HP car are few and far between.
There are a lot of sports cars that have more than 500 HP. They tend to be expensive. There needs to be a lot of engineering beyond just a more powerful engine to make a car that powerful function well and that includes things like better brakes, tires, suspensions, transmissions etc. So the demand for them is small.
Cars have broadly become more powerful over the last 30 years. A low end sports car would have something like 150-200 HP 30 years ago. Nowadays 120-150 HP is almost base model for the lowest priced cars.
Having said that, human beings and their driving needs haven’t evolved much in 30 years. The people that know how to handle or come close to “needing” a 500HP car are few and far between.
There are a lot of sports cars that have more than 500 HP. They tend to be expensive. There needs to be a lot of engineering beyond just a more powerful engine to make a car that powerful function well and that includes things like better brakes, tires, suspensions, transmissions etc. So the demand for them is small.
It’s simply not necessary anymore due to technological advances. For example, the 2023 Honda Civic Type R has 315 horsepower and does 0-60 in about 5.3 seconds. You won’t be driving anywhere near that car’s limits on public roads. There’s no need for more horsepower.
There’s a lot more to a car’s performance than raw horsepower numbers.
It’s simply not necessary anymore due to technological advances. For example, the 2023 Honda Civic Type R has 315 horsepower and does 0-60 in about 5.3 seconds. You won’t be driving anywhere near that car’s limits on public roads. There’s no need for more horsepower.
There’s a lot more to a car’s performance than raw horsepower numbers.
First of all, “sports car” is actually a fairly broad term. Muscle cars, supercars, GT cars, etc are all considered types of sports cars, along with the classic 2-door roadster.
If you’re specifically referring to the latter type, then it’s mostly due to weight. Those types of cars are usually designed around nimbleness and handling and therefore are given smaller and lighter engines. Smaller engine = harder/more expensive to make more power.
If we use the broad definition, then the answer is usually due to seeking a balance between price and useful horsepower. The current gen American big 3 coupes (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger) all have available V8s with 450+ horsepower, and they all start around $40k USD for them. It’s not really that difficult to modify these engines for more power, which is why they are all sold with more powerful variants. The problem is that when you start jacking up the power, you need to upgrade the suspension, steering, aerodynamics, etc or else all you’ve done is built a car that will spin the wheels easily and be dangerous to drive. (See all those vids of people crashing their Mustangs when leaving parking lots). All those upgrades cost more money, which is why you see the new Corvette Z06 with 670 HP and a MSRP of $100k USD.
First of all, “sports car” is actually a fairly broad term. Muscle cars, supercars, GT cars, etc are all considered types of sports cars, along with the classic 2-door roadster.
If you’re specifically referring to the latter type, then it’s mostly due to weight. Those types of cars are usually designed around nimbleness and handling and therefore are given smaller and lighter engines. Smaller engine = harder/more expensive to make more power.
If we use the broad definition, then the answer is usually due to seeking a balance between price and useful horsepower. The current gen American big 3 coupes (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger) all have available V8s with 450+ horsepower, and they all start around $40k USD for them. It’s not really that difficult to modify these engines for more power, which is why they are all sold with more powerful variants. The problem is that when you start jacking up the power, you need to upgrade the suspension, steering, aerodynamics, etc or else all you’ve done is built a car that will spin the wheels easily and be dangerous to drive. (See all those vids of people crashing their Mustangs when leaving parking lots). All those upgrades cost more money, which is why you see the new Corvette Z06 with 670 HP and a MSRP of $100k USD.
First of all, “sports car” is actually a fairly broad term. Muscle cars, supercars, GT cars, etc are all considered types of sports cars, along with the classic 2-door roadster.
If you’re specifically referring to the latter type, then it’s mostly due to weight. Those types of cars are usually designed around nimbleness and handling and therefore are given smaller and lighter engines. Smaller engine = harder/more expensive to make more power.
If we use the broad definition, then the answer is usually due to seeking a balance between price and useful horsepower. The current gen American big 3 coupes (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger) all have available V8s with 450+ horsepower, and they all start around $40k USD for them. It’s not really that difficult to modify these engines for more power, which is why they are all sold with more powerful variants. The problem is that when you start jacking up the power, you need to upgrade the suspension, steering, aerodynamics, etc or else all you’ve done is built a car that will spin the wheels easily and be dangerous to drive. (See all those vids of people crashing their Mustangs when leaving parking lots). All those upgrades cost more money, which is why you see the new Corvette Z06 with 670 HP and a MSRP of $100k USD.
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