Power is, of course, an important factor in performance. Often, though, folks look to raw horsepower as the ultimate benchmark of performance, overlooking the myriad of other details that affect how a vehicle performs. Weight, especially in relation to power, can make a huge difference in speed and acceleration, not to mention handling.
Simply put, it takes more power to move more mass, and moving a 3000-pound object happens more quickly than moving a 4000-pound object with the same amount of thrust. Here, we offer power-to-weight ratios in units of pounds per horsepower.
For reference, a Lotus Elise is lightweight, at 1927 pounds, with a relatively small 189 horsepower. Its ratio is about 10.2 lb/hp. A Bugatti Veyron, at 4486 pounds and 987 horsepower is just a little of 4.5 pounds per pony, while a base Nissan Versa gets about 23.5. As you can see, lower numbers are desirable.
And, of course, so is an affordable price point.
Here are the top ten new cars with the best power-to-weight ratio available for less than $40,000.
Before heading to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the inaugural race of the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup series two of Winding Road Racing’s…
While McLaren’s new racer is set to debut next month at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the company decided to take the wraps off the new car a bit early in this tasty collection of images.
Ten SCCA National Champions were crowned on Friday at the SCCA Runoffs Presented by Garmin VIRB, following 14 lap races at Daytona International Speedway. Check out the race recaps and official results below for all the details.
The second annual NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires crowned it class winners this past weekend at Virginia International Raceway. Under perfect 80-degree and sunny conditions the 300+ NASA competitors took to the 3.27 mile, 17-turn VIR circuit to settle who would be 2015 NASA Eastern States Champions.
Rain usually does not spell ideal track conditions for getting behind the wheel of a race car for the first time, but that doesn’t deter oversteer enthusiast Chris Harris as he pilots the Daytona 24 Hour winning Group C Jaguar XJR-9 around Brands Hatch Racing circuit in West Kingsdown.