Top 5 Supercars With Too Much Power

Do we really need a car that can do over 270mph and which wields 2,000 horsepower? The funny thing is you’ll struggle to find a place in the world where you can do more than 100mph and for that even a Fiat 500 Twin-air with a tiny 2-cylinder engine is good enough.

So why are people making cars that have engines with power surplus sufficient to power 26 Fiat 500s? It’s the urge to excel; an urge that has driven the technological progress throughout centuries. It is probably better not to suppress this urge – after all, the majority of automotive innovations have emerged from the world of sportscars. In all honesty most people love to look at cars that have too much power! So let’s look at the most powerful street-legal cars available now or in the near future.

Bristol Fighter T

Bristol Fighter T is a strong entry by the legendary British luxury car manufacturer Bristol. Visually the Fighter is not your usual supercar – it’s a gentle and elegant coupe, with its retro styling – just like every Bristol car – but the image is misleading. When you hit the accelerator the Fighter T will blow you away.

When it was just released in 2004 it was the most powerful and the fastest car in the world with 1,012BHP and reaching 270mph which was later electronically limited to 225mph. The British supercar is powered by the Dodge Viper’s V10 which was derived from a Chrysler truck back in 1989. Tweaking the engine parameters and adding a twin-turbo has more than doubled the original power output of around 400BHP. Earlier this year Bristol was acquired by a Swiss company Kamkorp know for its green credentials, so the gas-guzzling Fighter T might well see the end of production soon.

Bugatti 16.4 Super Sport

Bugatti seems to have everything going for it right now. If you think the Veyron 16.4 was powerful, look at the Super Sport version. Its 8-litre W16 engine produces 1,184BHP of pure power accelerating the car to a top speed of 258mph. They claim that the car can achieve over 267mph but the maximum speed is limited to make sure the driver stays on the road. The maker points out that the Super Sport is for skilled drivers only. Having so much power means that there is bound to be a trade-off.

Green activists absolutely loathe the car – driving in a city, it will achieve 9.6mpg at best, fuming out more than 800 grams of CO2 per km. When driven at top speed, it will consume 1.2 gallons every minute! Nevertheless, Bugatti Super Sport is a symphony of engineering and quality. Even though the car doesn’t make sense, it’s been a valiant attempt to build a technically perfect car.

SSC Tuatara

SSC Tuatara is an upgrade on the famous SSC Ultimate Aero created by Jerod Shelby in 2006. Jerod has no relation to Carroll Shelby but apparently if your surname is Shelby, the likelihood is you’ll be pretty good at building fast cars. The original Ultimate Aero was a 1,180BHP monster doing 270mph. People asked Jerod “Why?” and he decided to offer a new 1,350BHP supercar for an answer.

What sets the SSC apart from other ridiculously powerful cars is that it squeezes formidable power out of a relatively small 6.8-litre V8 engine. It doesn’t need a V12 or a W16 to go over 1,000BHP! As a result it is lower in weight and somewhat more realistic with fuel economy. It’s expected that the new car is set for its debut in 2012 and will be able to reach 275mph. If Mr Shelby achieves that, he will have blown Bugatti out of water. And that’s with just a dozen engineers that Shelby employ versus a huge team and limitless funding provided by the Volkswagen mothership.

Mostro di Potenza SF22

One of the latest hypercars – Mostro di Potenza SF22 – was announced earlier this year. Literally translated from Italian as “the power monster”, it immediately received some sarcastic comments suggesting that the company will never see the car to the chequered flag. They might want to change their stance considering who’s standing behind the whole project. It’s a “dream team” compiled from people having formerly worked for companies like Lamborghini, McLaren and they all have a background in the U.S. Defence industry.

Powered by a 2,000BHP engine, it is estimated that the car will be capable of speeds of up to 265mph. Having such an enormous engine behind the seats means that an average driver would probably end up cutting trees the moment he touches the gas. That’s why an electronic traction control system is devised, and according to the company, you won’t be able to switch off or circumvent the system. That would make the Mostro too dangerous.

Vector WX8

Image attribute: Poe Tatum

A couple of years back the grandpa of the concept of an All-American hypercar, Gerald Wiegert, set out on a new adventure to build the most powerful street-legal car in the world. Having a few supercars under his belt already, the most famous of them being Vector W8, he seemed to be the right man for the job. Ever since, it seems that the SSC has taken over as the proud American supercar maker but don’t discount Mr Wiegert just yet. If he manages to finish his newest endeavour, the world will have a 2,000+BHP car capable of 275mph.

Currently Vector Supercars are playing with a custom V8 10-litre big block engine and it is expected that the super-heavy unit will power the production model. The car looks stunning, it’s stylistics are similar to a U.S. Army fighter jet. It just so happens that Wiegert comes from the Defence background – putting a fighter jet on a street must be a fitting concept for him.

This guest post was submitted by Creditplus car loan provider, offering an instant decision for car loans in the UK.