Whats the most horsepower in a street legal car?

10 Cars with the Most Horsepower Under $100k

After what seems like more than a few decades of depressingly low power numbers, new technology means that the last few years have seen the glory days return with a continual increase in cars’ power levels. Whether it’s to get you down the drag strip faster, for bragging rights among your friends or just to make it marginally easier to destroy your tires in giant plumes of smoke, we’ve got you covered if you’re looking for a high-horsepower car. Our expert editors have created a list of 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100k (though some are considerably more affordable at only a fraction of that price), sorted by horsepower from the lowest to the highest. Read on to discover which car is best for you.

Photo Credit: Lexus

10) 2018 Lexus LC 500

The Lexus LC 500, a two-door luxury coupe, is the first entry on our list of the 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100,000. Coming in just under our limit with an MSRP of $92,000, the LC 500’s 5.0-liter V8 produces 471 horsepower, which is channeled to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. That combo is good enough for a run to 60 miles per hour in under 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph. The LC uses typical Lexus styling cues, but in a stylishly aggressive way that makes it one of the most attractive cars the brand has ever produced. Steering and handling are good but would be even better if the LC 500 wasn’t quite as heavy.

Photo Credit: Dodge

9) 2017 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack

As you’ll see, Dodge seems to rule our list of 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100,000, and the manufacturer’s first entry on our list is also the cheapest with an MSRP of $38,995. The Challenger R/T Scat Pack features a 6.4-liter 392 Hemi V8 engine that pumps out 485 horsepower, all of which is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission (a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic is an extra-cost option). The run to 60 miles per hour takes a tad over four seconds. That may not be impressive compared to some of the other cars on this list but it’s still plenty quick, and we think that the R/T Scat Pack is the best bang for the buck of the Challenger range.

Photo Credit: Mercedes-Benz

8) 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Sedan

The AMG C63 S sedan (also available as a coupe) is a high-performance version of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class compact luxury car. As part of the performance upgrades, the C63 S gets a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that generates 503 horsepower backed by a seven-speed Speedshift automatic transmission that uses a wet clutch (instead of the typical torque converter) to send power to the rear wheels. The sprint to 60 miles per hour is completed in 3.9 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 180 mph. For $72,800 for the sedan or $75,000 for the coupe, you also get a widened track, aluminum body parts, an electronic limited-slip differential, computer-controlled dynamic engine mounts and the Race Start launch control system.

Photo Credit: Alfa Romeo

7) 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is a compact luxury car, and in Quadrifoglio trim it boasts a Ferrari-developed twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 that generates an impressive 505 horsepower. An eight-speed automatic transmission (unfortunately no manual transmissions are available here) sends power to the rear wheels and helps the Giulia get to 60 miles per hour in only 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 191 mph. Handling is top notch as well, and the Quadrifoglio has recorded a lap time of just over seven and a half minutes around the famous Nurburgring race track. With an MSRP of only $72,000 and an engine that you can brag about to your friends, the Quadrifoglio represents a unique bargain on our list of 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100,000.

Photo Credit: Ford

6) 2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

With the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, you get a lot for the starting MSRP of $56,145. Most notably, you get a flat-plane 5.2-liter V8 that spins up to an 8,250 RPM redline and generates 526 horsepower, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Performance in a straight line is good, with 60 miles per hour arriving in just a few ticks over four seconds and a top speed of around 170 mph. The GT350 is about more than its engine, though, with many suspension and body tweaks that significantly improve handling performance. If you’re looking for one of the 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100,000 and would rather spend time on a road course than a drag strip, the GT350 has much to offer.

Photo Credit: Jaguar

5) 2018 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

The Jaguar F-TYPE R coupe just barely squeaks in under our threshold with an MSRP of $99,900. (A convertible is available, but at a price outside of our budget.) For that money, you get a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that makes 550 horsepower, and to keep the power in check, you get an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive system as well as a Torque Vectoring system and an Electronic Active Differential. Adding to the F-Type’s British good looks is the R’s raised hood with vents and quad exhaust pipes. All that helps get the F-Type R from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 186 mph.

Photo Credit: Cadillac

4) 2017 Cadillac CTS-V

The Cadillac CTS-V is a high-performance four-door luxury sedan that makes our list of the 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100,000 thanks to its supercharged 6.2-liter engine that makes 640 horsepower. That motivation is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with magnesium paddle shifters and can get the CTS-V to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 200 mph. To keep all that power under control, the CTS-V comes with six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembo brakes, while a carbon fiber hood helps lower weight and improve its distribution. Compared to the Germans’ high-performance luxury cars you get more aggressive styling, more power and a lower starting price of $85,995. What’s not to like?

Photo Credit: General Motors

3) 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Starting at $61,500, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is GM’s entry into the high-performance muscle car war. And with 650 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 (backed by either a six-speed manual with automatic rev matching or a 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters), it’s got the muscle part down. The ZL1 isn’t just about power, though, and it features a suspension with Magnetic Ride Technology and some aerodynamic tweaks over the regular Camaro that help it lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in under seven and a half minutes. Add the $7,500 1LE Track Package, new for 2018, and you get even more capability thanks to front dive planes and an adjustable suspension. A similar engine is available in Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06, but that’s near $20,000 more expensive.

Photo Credit: Dodge

2) 2017 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

The fine folks at Dodge take the second spot on our list of the 10 cars with the most horsepower under $100,000 with the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Power comes from a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 engine that puts out 707 horsepower, backed by an eight-speed automatic. The numbers are staggering for a $67,645 car: The sprint to 60 miles per hour takes around three seconds, the quarter mile is over in 11 seconds, and top speed is 204 mph. Of course, the Hellcat also gets suspension and brake upgrades, including massive 15.4-inch front rotors surrounded by six-piston calipers. You can also get a two-door Challenger version, and it’s available with a six-speed manual transmission if you think you would do better harnessing all those horses yourself.

Photo Credit: Dodge

1) 2018 Dodge Demon

Thanks to the slightly crazy (in a very good way) people at Dodge, you can now get a street-legal Challenger that’s built for the dragstrip with an 840-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi engine. Called the Demon, it comes equipped with a trans brake, a unique suspension, drag radials on every corner and select electronics that help it find the grip needed to accelerate to 60 miles per hour in only 2.3 seconds and through the quarter mile in under 10 seconds at speeds greater than 140 mph. It can pull an amazing 1.8g when accelerating, and it’s the first production car to be able to pull a wheelie off the line. Not all that practical day-to-day, but when you get 840 horsepower for $84,995, who cares?

Cars With The Best Power-To-Weight

Just having raw horsepower is not what makes a car fast. If it is heavy, then by definition, it will need more power to get it moving. We took a look at road legal cars only but not necessarily available in the US. There are a couple of ways to calculate this.

Typically here in the US we take the car’s weight and divide by the horsepower. 3,000 lb/600 = 5 lbs/hp. In the UK and Europe they calculate bhp per tonne. 3,000 lb is 1.36 tons so divide 600/1.36 =441 bhp per tonne. Make sense?

Here is the countdown to the ten production cars with the best power-to-weight.

10. Pagani Huayra

The Pagani Huayra is an Italian mid-engined sports car produced by Pagani. The Huayra is currently the fastest road car to go around the Top Gear Test Track, setting a time of 1:13.8, beating the previous record of 1:15.1 set by the Ariel Atom V8 in January 2011.

9. Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Package

The Weissach package’s main aim is to reduce weight, helping to lower the 918 Spyder’s curb mass from 3,715 pounds to 3,616 pounds. Porsche added magnesium wheels, a lighter brake design, ceramic wheel bearings, and titanium bolts for the chassis.

8. Caterham 620R

The 620 R is the fastest road car Caterham has ever made and will go from 0-60 in 2.79 secs.

7. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

The current Super Sport version of the Veyron is the current fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of 267.7 mph.

6. Mclaren P1

The P1 will go from 0 to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 6.8 seconds, and from 0 to 186 mph in 16.5 seconds. It reaches the quarter mile in 9.8 seconds at 152 mph. Top speed of is 247 mph.

V8 Twin Turbo with integrated lightweight electric motor
7 Speed SSG

5. LaFerrari

Ferrari states that the car has a top speed exceeding 217 mph, and that it is capable of reaching 62 mph in under three seconds, 124 mph in under seven seconds, and a speed of 186 mph in 15 seconds.

V12 with electric motor
7-speed dual-clutch transmission

4. Ariel Atom

The Atom V8 has a claimed 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds making it quicker than many bikes.

6-speed sequential Sadev

3. Koenigsegg One:1

Manufacturers Claims

Zero to 60 mph: 2.5 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 4.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 9.0 sec
Top speed: 273 mph

V8, 4 valves per cylinder, double overhead camshafts
7-speed dual clutch, 1 input shaft transmission with paddle-shift.

2.. Hennessey Venom GT

Hennessey claims their car will hit 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, then onto 100mph in 5.6 and then the fastest time to 186 mph according to Guinness, 13.63 seconds.

90-degree V8
Ricardo 6-Speed manual

1. Caparo T1

The Caparo is a 2-seater track car that is legal for the road. With a weight of only 1212 lbs the Caparo rockets to 60 mph in under 2.5 seconds, and from 0 – 100 in 5 seconds. Top speed is in excess of 200mph.

Dodge’s last gas-powered muscle car will say goodbye as the fastest production car on the market, automaker says

The last gas-powered muscle car from Dodge isn’t leaving the road without some squeals, thunder and crazy-fast speed.

The 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170 will deliver 1,025 horsepower from its 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, and the automaker says it will be the quickest production car made.

Stellantis says it can go from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in a scary 1.66 seconds, making it faster than even electric supercars from Tesla and Lucid.

It’s what the performance brand from Stellantis is calling the last of the rumbling cars that for decades were a fixture of American culture on Saturday night cruises all over the country.

Stellantis will stop making gas versions of the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Chrysler 300 big sedan by the end of this year, squeezed out by stricter government fuel-economy regulations and an accelerating shift to electric vehicles to fight climate change.

The Canadian factory that makes all three cars will be retooled to make electric versions of larger cars starting next year. Stellantis hasn’t said whether all three models will survive, but it did show off a Charger Daytona SRT electric concept muscle car back in August.

Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Dodge brand and the unofficial spokesman for America’s gas-powered rubber-burners, said that, while he’ll miss the traditional muscle, he’s excited about making electric performance vehicles.

“It’s the end of an era, for sure,” he said Monday. “Electric products, they’re very fast. Muscle cars, one of the primary ingredients is to be a fast accelerating car. So I’ve automatically got the power. Now I’ve just got to figure out ways to bring all the other elements in of the excitement of the driving experience.”

Since last summer, Dodge has been rolling out powerful special-edition “Last Call” versions of its gas powered muscle cars, culminating with an event Monday night to show the Challenger Demon 170 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway drag strip.

The new Challenger Demon, a descendant of a car that first went on sale in 1969, also produces 945 pound-feet of torque, or rotational force — so much power that the company had to strengthen the rear drive shaft and differential with aerospace-grade metals.

According to Stellantis, the car will be the first production vehicle to run a quarter-mile (0.40 kilometers) in under nine seconds — 8.91 to be exact. To do that, it hits a speed of just over 151 mph (243 kilometers per hour). Horsepower and speed depends on how much ethanol is in the fuel.

It gets only 13 miles per gallon in the city and 21 on the highway, but it’s doubtful anyone buying one will care even as the world deals with climate change.

Kuniskis says it’s a relatively small number of cars, and he says the ethanol they burn is cleaner than gasoline. Dodge, he said, will have built 2 million muscle cars by the time production of gas versions ends Dec. 31. Dodge’s followers, he said, deserve a celebration.

“After all these years, we owed it as much to them as to ourselves to celebrate this end, and give them something that produces a lot of pride in the brand that they love,” he said.

The Demon 170 is street legal, even though it comes with wide racing tires . To make it a daily driver, the company is offering a package of smaller, more street friendly wheels and tires.

At a devilish $96,666, the car comes standard with only a driver’s seat and a basic radio. But it has air conditioning. Front passenger and back seats are optional for $1 each. You can also get leather, a sunroof and a better sound system.

Stellantis will make only up to 3,300 of them, and Kuniskis isn’t sure if they’ll hit that number due to potential parts shortages and a limited production time.

If previous limited-edition models are any indication, the Demon 170 should become an instant classic collector’s car, Kuniskis said.

“If you look at some of the cars that we’ve had in our past, it’s pretty easy to tell which ones people want to collect,” he said. “A lot of times it’s the lower (sales) volume, extreme examples, whether its extreme looks or extreme performance. Well, this one happens to have both.”

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