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The 14 Cars That Ignited the Horsepower Wars
January 25, 2023
By Ethan Jupp
Today, we take power and speed for granted. No supercar is worth its asking price if it makes less than 600 horsepower (441kW). Likewise, many performance-oriented family EVs can rocket from 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds, whereas, in the past, that kind of acceleration was the preserve of only the most exotic and exclusive supercars. Progress is relentless, and the reality is that it has been for a long time, as evidenced in what is commonly called the “horsepower wars.” This is a race between manufacturers over the years for the last 30 years, especially to outperform their rivals’ performance models in terms of power. The result is that we live in a world of 400 horsepower (294kW) performance hatchbacks, 600 horsepower (441kW) luxury sedans, and 800 horsepower (588kW) hypercars, but there have been a few crucial turning points along the way. We decided to list them, although only a few luxury performance models really stand out in terms of outright power.
Lotus Carlton
A car so potent and so fast that the legality of its power was debated in Parliament. The Lotus Carlton arguably defined the notion of a “sleeper”—a car that doesn’t shout about the performance it actually possesses. It wasn’t exactly subtle, with a chunky front bumper, stubby wheel arches, and a solid spoiler, but even that hint of aggression didn’t prepare you for the sheer potency bubbling beneath the surface. The twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter straight-six engine, developed by Lotus, produced a staggering 382 horsepower (280 kW) and propelled the Carlton to a top speed of 177 mph (280 km/h).
Back in 1990, when the contemporary BMW M5 and Porsche 911 Turbo made do with 315 horsepower (231 kW) and 320 horsepower (235 kW) respectively, that was terrifying speed and power. Really, this was the first time we had to question whether that was enough.
Ford Focus RS
In the 1980s and 1990s, performance hatchbacks made do with horsepower figures starting with a 1 and having a 2 tucked in after it, and we were all the better for it. The Golf GTI, 205 GTI, Clio Williams, and many more delivered real performance to the masses. So how did we end up doubling that output in just 30 years? Slowly, although there were some landmark moments, one of which was the 2002 Ford Focus RS. Okay, the Escort Cosworth was more powerful, but that was a special four-wheel-drive edition that really didn’t have any rivals or counterparts. The Focus, on the other hand, set the precedent for a decade-long horsepower war among performance hatchbacks, with its 215 horsepower (158 kW) turbocharged four-cylinder engine sending its power exclusively to the front wheels, just as a traditional hot hatch should. It also upgraded its credentials along with the power hike, adding a Quaife torque-biasing limited-slip differential to put the power down. The RS was a controversial car, remembered for its raw, edgy personality.
Honda S2000
The Honda S2000 wasn’t a standout in terms of outright power, but it was a very important car in the history of horsepower production. Its 2.0-liter F20C dual-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine produced 250 horsepower (183 kW) and could rev to 9,000 rpm. More importantly, it made 125 horsepower (91 kW) per liter… in 1999. That was a figure only surpassed by the 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia and only matched by the 2013 Porsche 911 GT3. It still holds its place among the highest power-per-liter cars using naturally aspirated engines, including the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder, GMA T.50, and Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG
But when you want real power, nothing beats displacement… combined with a healthy turbocharger. That’s why the Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG could boast a staggering 612 horsepower (450 kW) way back in 2003, thanks to its 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 engine. It was easily the most powerful (non-limited run) production car in the world. This was supercar-level power at the time and, frankly, it was overkill, as evidenced by the struggles of the traction control system every time you tried to deploy all that power to the rear wheels. It performed best when moving at high speed, gobbling up the 70 mph to 140 mph increment with the same vigor that any performance car shows when hitting 70 mph.
Bugatti Veyron
We couldn’t possibly leave it out, could we? The Bugatti Veyron has always represented the pinnacle of outright engine power. Although its successors have since surpassed the 1,600 horsepower (1,176 kW) mark, the Veyron’s 1,000 horsepower (735 kW) in 2005 was still a massive punch and a signal to all performance car manufacturers that, when it came to power, all bets were off. A colossal engineering feat that cost the VW Group a fortune to the extent that perhaps even the production of the Chiron (which, admittedly, used a development of that engine) didn’t recoup the costs. You’ve seen it a thousand times but it still doesn’t stop being mad: 8.0-liter, 16 cylinders, four turbochargers. Utter madness.
BMW M5
The BMW M5 has always been at the heart of what we commonly refer to as the “horsepower wars.” But the race between it and Mercedes to increase power with each generation reached a crescendo in 2004, with BMW’s launch of the E60. Armed with a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10 engine, the displacement didn’t increase, two cylinders were added, and astonishingly, it made 100 horsepower more than the E39 it replaced. That was a significant jump, but the most impressive number was this: 507 horsepower (372 kW). To put that into perspective, it took the M5 nearly 15 years to add 100 horsepower (73 kW) like the E60 did to the E39, with the 2018 introduction of the M5 Competition bringing the total to 625 horsepower (459 kW).
Audi RS6
Yet, the biggest leap on the path to the new M5 came from the Audi RS 6 C6. While the Mercedes-AMG E63 had put up a decent fight, it was Audi that delivered the knockout blow. Launched in 2009, the C6 RS 6 packed a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V10 engine, producing no less than 580 horsepower—an extraordinary number for a family car at the time. This was the final surge in power in the executive car segment, at least for internal combustion engines. All models that have come since have topped out between 570-625 horsepower (419-459 kW) and not much more. The C6 RS 6 wasn’t a particularly good car, given its two-ton weight and unimpressive chassis, but it was certainly a legend in the car wars.
Corvette ZR1
It wasn’t just the fine German tuners pushing the power envelope during this period, and how could we compile the “horsepower heroes” without mentioning our friends across the Atlantic? We thought the C6 Corvette Z06 with its 505 horsepower (371 kW) was a monster when it was launched in 2006. Then, in 2008, the Corvette ZR1 appeared. The naturally aspirated 7.0-liter LS7 V8 engine was replaced by a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9, producing a colossal 647 horsepower (475 kW). The “Blue Devil” Corvette crossed the Atlantic and made waves in Europe, setting Nürburgring production car lap records and beating supercar rivals in performance tests. Sure, the C7 ZR1 also made 765 horsepower (562 kW), but at the time of its launch, you could buy a more powerful Dodge Challenger.
At the time, the C6 was the most powerful (non-limited run) production car on sale in the world.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Ford wasn’t about to take that lying down, of course. How did they respond? By giving the Mustang an engine that made more power than that supercar, albeit with a solid rear axle. The 2013 Mustang GT500 made 671 horsepower (493 kW), courtesy of a bespoke 5.8-liter Trinity V8 engine—unique in the Ford lineup. The supercharger alone, a TVS unit, was larger than the entire engine of most performance hatch
