Four small engines with more power than muscle car v8

[jaagu]

A massive V8 is a trademark of almost every true muscle car. However, the modern automotive era has shifted away from large-displacement, gas-guzzling, naturally aspirated V8s to downsized, hybridized, and forced-induction engines to save fuel and reduce harmful emissions. Although we used to associate huge power with huge displacement, this is no longer the case; some relatively tiny engines are now capable of pushing massive power.

Engines like the Chevrolet 396, Chrysler 426 HEMI, or Pontiac 455 Super Duty are some of the most iconic engines from the golden era of muscle cars, and most variants of these typically push between 375 and 450 horsepower. With displacements ranging from roughly 6.5 to 7.5 liters, that gives a liter-to-horsepower ratio of only about 60–64 hp per liter. Although numbers are not everything when it comes to performance cars, they do play a significant role.

Even the 2024 Ford Mustang GT, with its equally coveted 5-liter Coyote V8, is good for 480 horsepower, or about 96 hp per liter. If we also consider hybridized engines with twin-turbocharged setups, some modern powertrains can both eclipse the horsepower of those old-school 7-liter V8s while being far more efficient and emissions-friendly. Here are four small engines with more power than muscle car V8s.

The W204 Mercedes C63 AMG is likely the closest thing to a European muscle car you are ever going to get. Thanks to its 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8, the W204 sounds, feels, and goes like a muscle car. The newest model, the W206 C63 AMG S E-Performance, is an entirely different car. Powered by a 2-liter turbocharged M139 four-cylinder inline engine with 469 horsepower and 402 lb-ft of torque, it is one of the most powerful 4-cylinder engines ever made. However, this engine is a hybrid.

Four Small Engines With More Power Than Muscle Car V8s - SlashGear

[Goofyhoofy]

OK, I can be goaded into acting like I’m 17, but I’m not proud of it.

So I’m sitting at a red light and a 20-something pulls alongside in his whatever muscle car and vroom, vroom, vroom. And I ignore it. And it’s vroom, vroom, vroom, and I ignore it. And it’s vroom, vroom, vroom, and my thumb slides down to the “Drive Mode” button and presses it; the red lights dance across the steering wheel, and just as the traffic light turns green the car slides into “Sport Mode”.

And I’m off! The speed limit on this road is 45, so I take it to 45, quite quickly I’ll admit, and I leave him in the dust. Ho ho ho.

A half mile up the road there’s another red light and lo and behold we’re both first in the lane at this one too. Vroom, vroom, vroom, he says with his dual carburetor fuel injected whatever-it-is, and I side-eye over and there’s a pretty young thing sitting in the passenger seat, and I look back. He’s obviously out to impress, and this time he’s not going to fail. Vroom, vroom, vroom.

And the light turns green, and I take it quickly, so quickly to 45, because that’s still the speed limit, and I leave him so far behind he must think he’s running on kerosene and coal tar instead of something with Octane. I’m using electrons and torque, and I get to 45 and level off as he whips past me doing at least 60, maybe 70, I don’t know. He was so far back he had plenty of time to finally and belatedly get up to speed, and then some.

Now the perfect ending would be if there was a cop around the corner but there wasn’t, he just kept going - and that’s OK, because the whole time he must have been thinking “Cripes! I never saw a car accelerate like that before!”

I’m sure he hadn’t. Muscle car. Ha.

[Wyomingtim]

My first car had a 1200 cc engine with 40 horsepower. A 1962 Beetle with a canvas sunroof! 0 to 60 in about 20 seconds. Loved that car…got me through college just fine.

[ImAGolfer]

@Wyomingtim

A 1962 Beetle with a canvas sunroof! 0 to 60 in about 20 seconds. Loved that car…got me through college just fine.

I had a ‘68 Beetle I drove from Galveston to Seattle when I got transferred to Alaska. The VW spent a couple of years up in Juneau with studded snow tires during the winter. Shipped it back to Seattle and drove it back to Texas. Man that was a couple of years ago now that I think about it.

[Neuromancer]

That’s why my Tesla is so much fun.

[bjurasz]

@jaagu

With displacements ranging from roughly 6.5 to 7.5 liters, that gives a liter-to-horsepower ratio of only about 60–64 hp per liter.

I had a 2006 Honda S2000 with a normally aspirated 8,000 rpm 2.4L engine, at 240hp. That is 100hp / liter. What an amazing engine. That was a near perfect sports car in so many ways. More than enough power to be fun, telepathic steering, immediate feedback from every driver control. And the smile it put on my face when track driving…

(It’s the one thing EVs still can’t do given their weight. They can do fast, but not much else they do is “right” from a driver standpoint).

[wecoguy]

We had an '82 RX7, new, in '82, (1.1-liter or approximately 70 cubic inches),12A naturally aspirated Wankel rotary engine.) About 100 HP… Weight distribution was great, leading me into situations when working out along the coast roads where I had to stop driving it, go back to my F150 or I was going to end up off a cliff somewhere if I misjudged.. But what a kick it was, I wanted to check out the tech, and it came through great, only fixit was replacing the exhaust manifold… My mechanic then was a Mazda escapee, with his own shop, so it all fit nicely… He did some work for a local RX7 racer out at Sears Point at the time, so was up on all the latest tricks.. Sadly, the Wankel always had trouble meeting CA smog checks, it had to get heated up decently or it would flunk the testing..Generally, if it worked out, Alex’s wife would run it through the mill, take it over, get it smogged for us, perfect. I did have to swap the catalytic converter once myself, I think Alex also swapped it another time, it ws so close to the engine, it would fuse the honeycomb, less air flow, lost power, time to swap it… Fun car, but as the kids are, we moved on, traded it off got a new F250, 460 V8, extended cab, for towing, etc..