Actually I’d bet most new economy cars can do 100. I drive a 92 Honda Civic DX hatchback, which is the low-end Civic, and it could do 110 easily, though when I tested it the front end began to feel ‘floaty’ at around 107 so I backed down. It feels comfortable cruising at 90 or so, summer before last I drove from New Orleans to Dallas averaging just under 90 MPH for the trip, and I stopped for gas on the way - and that was with about 170,000 miles on it. My new Honda probably could go quite a bit faster, I think the '92 had under 100 hp, the '01 has 127.
Well, for many years, cars were allowed to be built capable of high top speeds because the only practical way to limit the top speed was to limit horsepower. This would have been stupid, so it never happened. Later, when technology made it possible to limit the speed without limiting the horsepower, no one really seems to have pushed for the idea. Car makers would be against it. The American people would have been against it.
The people that could have made such a regulation probably decided that speeding in general was a problem, but that it would make more sense to concentrate on getting people to stop doing 65 in a 30 or driving home from the bar after four drinks than to keep all cars under 80.
Incidentally, what states actually prohibit machine guns? I’m guessing that here in New York, or back home in Massachusetts I’m out of luck.
Why not just gear the car so that it redlines at a low speed in the top gear? Say 100mph or so. This would allow for slightly higher speeds when absolutely necessary, albeit with possible engine damage.
**Badtz Maru-**Actually, the DX HAtchback for 91 had around 80 HP, whereas the Si from 99-00 has about 120… Before he started adding stuff, getting up to 130 Mph was no problem, but the engine did NOT want to go past it easily… now however, it’s no sweat, and on some nice flat roads we’ve pushed 150… although not often, as CHP does not take kindly to import racing at all…
The average American v-8 is still more powerful, but the import v-6’s are closing the gap, and it’s not hard at all to make a good VTEC 4 banger the equal of a stock V-8…
Still like the Nova’s though… Man, dang it Gun, you’ve got me drooling over the muscle cars again…
That was 130 in the si, not the DX, right? The DX felt like it could probably do 115, I don’t think it could do 130.
I haven’t really pushed the 2001 Civic I have, I’ve only taken it up to about 95. It’s an EX, which partially explains the higher horsepower (though I looked at the DX and it was something like 115, so they have gotten quite a bit more powerful in the last 10 years).
Why would anybody want to limit the top speed of a car? When I lived in Germany I recall (no cite) that the ADAC had studies which showed that the large majority of accidents and traffic fatalities weren’t caused by mad Dutchmen rocketing down the Autobahns 
but in built up areas by people who were driving badly. That’s the reasonable argument, we all know that the real argument is that guys won’t be nearly as exited about dropping some substantial coin on a car that won’t go much faster than a school bus.
The Ford Cougar, perhaps?
I doubt that beats a Mustang, though. There used to be a Ford Probe sportscar, but that wasn’t a Porsche-wannabe either. Plus, it’s not being built anymore.
Moonshine, if this mad Dutchman floors his Peugeot on the Autobahn, he’s doing 105 MPH, and he’s watching his rear view mirror for approaching BMW M3’s. 
Likely, a Ford Cosworth could give a 'Stang a good run. The city I lived in, in Italy, had rally races come through it frequently, and the Cosworths were QUICK. Scary quick. One left me in the dust in my car, and I had a pretty good one over there.
Ah, the Cozzers!
An Escort RS Cosworth could probably outrun a Mustang with ease. Scarily quick. But then, I wouldn’t call it a sports car. More of a Hot Hatch, really.
There’s the Sierra Cosworth as well, but that one dates back to the late 80’s.