Tuesday 10th April 2012

500hp: the new minimum

Inspired by a US study of the number of 500hp-plus cars on sale PH hunts out how many we get this side of the pond

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A story doing the rounds last week about the number of 500hp+ cars on sale in the US topping 70 got us wondering how many are there here? (And offered up a great opportunity to keep work experience chap Kyle busy for a bit! - Ed.)

With some digging around, we counted 68 - a healthy number given the current trend for downsizing. Our list includes differing body styles of the same model - Alpina B5 and B5 Touring for example - but we decided against counting factory upgrade packages as a separate car.

Unsurprising it's the Germans that build the most with 24, but Britain is only just shy with 23. The Italians offer 12, the Americans five, Japan three and the Koenigsegg CCX is the lone ranger from Sweden.

It's a sign of how feverish the horsepower arms race has become that there are now so many 500hp cars on sale - little more than a decade ago there were only two factory standard cars to break this threshold - the Ferrari 575M and the Lamborghini Murcielago.

Here's our list, please feel free to add others!

Alpina B7
Alpina B5
Alpina B5 Touring
Ariel Atom V8
Ascari KZ1
Aston Martin One-77
Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Aston Martin DBS
Aston Martin DBS Volante
Audi Q7 V12 TDI
Audi R8 V10
Audi R8 V10 Spyder
Bentley Continental GT V8
Bentley Continental GTC V8
Bentley Continental GT W12
Bentley Continental GTC W12
Bentley Continental Flying Spur
Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed
Bentley Mulsanne
BMW M5
BMW 760Li
BMW X5 M
BMW X6 M
Bugatti Veyron
Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
Cadillac CTS-V Saloon
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Ferrari FF
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
Ferrari 458
Ferrari 458 Spider
Gumpert Apollo
Jaguar XFR
Jaguar XJ Supersport
Jaguar XKR
Jaguar XKR Cabriolet
Jaguar XKR-S
Jaguar XKR-S Cabriolet
Koenigsegg CCX
Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder LP560-4
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder LP570-4 Performante
Land Rover - Range Rover 5.0 V8 Autobiography
Lexus LFA
Lexus LFA Nurburgring
McLaren MP4-12C
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz CLS AMG
Mercedes-Benz S600L
Mercedes-Benz S63L AMG
Mercedes-Benz S65L AMG
Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz SLS
Mercedes-Benz SLS Roadster
Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG
Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG
Nissan GT-R
Noble M600
Pagani Zonda R
Pagani Zonda S
Porsche Panamera Turbo
Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Porsche Cayenne Turbo
Rolls-Royce Ghost

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mrhaitchbee]

RUF CTR3?, Bristol Fighter, Noble M600?

[sinbaddio]

Supercharged Rangie - 510bhp

[Luca Brasi]

Audi A8 W12, several Wiesmanns, Gallardo LP550-2, 997 Turbo S,...

[sinbaddio]

BMW M6....

[RB Will]

Some more work for the boy to do. Work out which country has the highest average BHP figure.

[300bhp/ton]

Mustang Shelby. Plus a host of small scale car builders in the US Steeda, Roush, Hennessey. Can't really discount them if you include Alpina.

[300bhp/ton]

Camaro ZL1, Range Rover Sport. The new Viper maybe.

[XitUp]

Merc G55.

Pretty much anything Brabus make.

[Grovsie26]

The Koni CCX is still being sold? It's well old?

[Wolands Advocate]

Why include the Alpina B5 as touring and saloon separately, but not do the same for, for example, the E63 AMG?

Also, Audi S8 and Range Rover Sport Supercharged...

Edited by Wolands Advocate on Tuesday 10th April 14:26

[Digger]

C63 is just shy of 500bhp.

[Kwistof]

Koenigsegg Agera and the R?

[b14]

RB Will said:

Some more work for the boy to do. Work out which country has the highest average BHP figure.

You'd be there for days!

[CarsGoVroom]

Porsche Panamera Turbo
Porsche Panamera Turbo S

I thought that above would have been a "factory upgraded package" that is apparently being avoided?

(Here goes where I am proved completely wrong!)

Edited by CarsGoVroom on Tuesday 10th April 14:34

[sleep envy]

Work experience boy needs more experience

[Zwolf]

article said:

little more than a decade ago there were only two factory standard cars to break this threshold - the Ferrari 575M and the Lamborghini Murcielago.

There were more than that in the ten years prior to that point (2001 I think you're aiming at).

1990: Diablo, launched with a tantalising 492 bhp.
1992: XJ220, 542 bhp
1994: Diablo SE30, 530bhp
1994: McLaren F1, 627 bhp
1995: Ferrari F50, 513 bhp
1995: Diablo SV, 510 bhp

With thing like the M5 now approaching 600bhp, I'd think that's the new benchmark. Off the top of my head that list consists of Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari 599GTB, GTO & FF with the F12 Berlinetta and Aston Martin One-77 exceeding 700bhp.

I do sometimes wonder if the electronic driver aids that we have now were stripped back to equivalency with '90s cars, just how everyday driveable by everyday folk the present raft of 500bhp+ cars would all be. I expect many would struggle much North of 300bhp...

[sleep envy]

Zwolf said:

I do sometimes wonder if the electronic driver aids that we have now were stripped back to equivalency with '90s cars, just how everyday driveable by everyday folk the present raft of 500bhp+ cars would all be. I expect many would struggle much North of 300bhp...

Can we add tyre and brake technology to that just to make the thought really scary?

[Zwolf]

sleep envy said:

Zwolf said:

I do sometimes wonder if the electronic driver aids that we have now were stripped back to equivalency with '90s cars, just how everyday driveable by everyday folk the present raft of 500bhp+ cars would all be. I expect many would struggle much North of 300bhp...

Can we add tyre and brake technology to that just to make the thought really scary?

Go on then

[XitUp]

Zwolf said:

There were more than that in the ten years prior to that point (2001 I think you're aiming at).

1990: Diablo, launched with a tantalising 492 bhp.
1992: XJ220, 542 bhp
1994: Diablo SE30, 530bhp
1994: McLaren F1, 627 bhp
1995: Ferrari F50, 513 bhp
1995: Diablo SV, 510 bhp

None of which were on sale ten years ago.

p.s. it's 2012 now, a decade ago would be 2002, not 2001

[sleep envy]

Zwolf said:

sleep envy said:

Zwolf said:

I do sometimes wonder if the electronic driver aids that we have now were stripped back to equivalency with '90s cars, just how everyday driveable by everyday folk the present raft of 500bhp+ cars would all be. I expect many would struggle much North of 300bhp...

Can we add tyre and brake technology to that just to make the thought really scary?

Go on then

ta

:thinksaboutit: