# You want horsepower? I'll give you some horsepower! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049 "2005-09-16T22:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/1 "2005-09-16T22:55:09Z")
[Bugatti Veyron](http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/funonwheels/09/16/bugatti_veyron/index.html) One thousand one horses and a projected top speed of 250mph! And only $1.24 millionbucks!! A shame it’s butt ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/2 "2005-09-17T00:35:20Z")
It would probably look good without the 2-tone paint job. I think I’ll pick up a couple after work. ---
**Author:** ![Snaggletooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Snaggletooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snaggletooth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/3 "2005-09-17T03:35:55Z")
Yeah, that’s cool but check out the Ultima GT. Under 30k as a kit less engine or 89k for a turn key. It’s on my list of things to do… [http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/gtr/index.html](http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/gtr/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/4 "2005-09-17T03:45:42Z")
I bet those colors look cool when the Doppler shift kicks in. Anyone know if you can option to prepay your speeding tickets? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/5 "2005-09-17T04:04:22Z")
Can one actually get up to 250 on Pico Blvd.? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/6 "2005-09-17T04:11:37Z")
Can it make the jump to Ludicrous speed, or go Plaid? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/7 "2005-09-17T13:13:28Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Can it make the jump to Ludicrous speed, or go Plaid? As long as the flux capacitor is turned off. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/8 "2005-09-17T19:15:29Z")
Nah, I don’t want horsepower, I want **Torque**! And the hobbycar has about 425 ft-lbs of em. The end result being: Traction is severely limited and all speeds I’d care to go. I’ve seen mindnumbingly quick cars in the 750 hp range (Lingenfelter TT Corvette) and I’ve seen cars that’ll go 70-170 faster than you can go 0-60 (TT Bored Viper). I just fail, in my advancing years and experience, to see the point. HP is a solved problem, it just takes money. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/9 "2005-09-18T16:57:13Z")
Take a couple of mid-70s Eldorado front clips (500 inch engines, front wheel drive), do a cheap workup on them and put them at the front and rear of a 1/2 ton truck. Presto: 1000 foot pounds of torque for one-hundredth the cost or less! ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/10 "2005-09-19T01:37:13Z")
One of the coolest things about this car is watching the movies on their website. I can’t link to it since it’s one of those crazy Flash-enabled Cold Fusion designs or something. But if you can navigate there it is definately worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/11 "2005-09-20T00:12:38Z")
1000 hp is not hard to do with a turbocharged V8. Getting it to the ground is a different story. You’ll need a full frame and a cage to keep it from flexing. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/12 "2005-09-20T04:35:39Z")
One thing bugs me about this Bugatti - the article said it was unstable at speed. What good is a car that is prctically practically guaranteed to kill you? ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/13 "2005-09-20T18:34:05Z")
It was supposed to go into production almost two years ago, but the main problem was that the engineers couldn’t make the car break the 400km/h limit. In the meantime, an obscure swedish company called [Koenigsegg](http://www.koenigsegg.com/thecars/index.asp?submenu=4) managed to make a car that costs a lot less and actually manages to go faster than 400km/h. Volkswagen is pwned !!!111 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/14 "2005-09-20T18:49:49Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > It was supposed to go into production almost two years ago, but the main problem was that the engineers couldn’t make the car break the 400km/h limit. > > In the meantime, an obscure swedish company called [Koenigsegg](http://www.koenigsegg.com/thecars/index.asp?submenu=4) managed to make a car that costs a lot less and actually manages to go faster than 400km/h. > > Volkswagen is pwned !!!111 You beat me to it, **Dog80**! Horsepower: 806 bhp at 6900 rpm. Torque: 920 Nm (678 ftlb) at 5700 rpm. Zoom-zoom, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/15 "2005-09-20T19:35:29Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > It was supposed to go into production almost two years ago, but the main problem was that the engineers couldn’t make the car break the 400km/h limit. > > In the meantime, an obscure swedish company called [Koenigsegg](http://www.koenigsegg.com/thecars/index.asp?submenu=4) managed to make a car that costs a lot less and actually manages to go faster than 400km/h. > > Volkswagen is pwned !!!111 Notice how they insinuate that they can exceed 400 kph? The top speed is “395+” on the Koenigsegg. That’s kinda like “only .99”, if you ask me. I think what it means is that they didn’t quite make it but want you to think that they did. If they had done it it would be plastered all over that website. I think the car is fantastic, but I also think that 400 kph needs to be substantiated. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-want-horsepower-ill-give-you-some-horsepower/322049/16 "2005-09-20T20:50:54Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > Notice how they insinuate that they can exceed 400 kph? The top speed is “395+” on the Koenigsegg. That’s kinda like “only .99”, if you ask me. I think what it means is that they didn’t quite make it but want you to think that they did. If they had done it it would be plastered all over that website. I think the car is fantastic, but I also think that 400 kph needs to be substantiated. A driver who lacks the training and skills will be plastered all over the road. I’ve seen enough to feel that giving that sort of performance to the average skill level driver (using that driver term generously) would be a horrible idea. Driving at 400 Km/hr, while reading the paper, eating a donut and talking on the cell phone? Uhhh bad idea.