How much horsepower is ‘a lot’?
In the car world, sometimes it’s easy to forget the foundations of modern automotive engineering. The term and unit of measure we casually call “horsepower” goes back to the 1770s. James Watt (yep–as in “wattage” from the International System of Units) invented the term while comparing the power of his steam engines to that of horses performing the same work.
One horsepower converts to 746 watts or 32,549 foot-pounds per minute.
Listen: I’ve been around cars for a few decades now, and still don’t know what 32,549 foot-pounds per minute looks like in a vacuum. It’s easier for me to pore over vehicle specs and absorb just which models are associated with high horsepower.
After driving and reading “a relative crap ton,” in general, after the 300-horsepower mark, you can bet you’ve entered performance car territory.
Case in point: here’s a quick table listing 10 cars with a range of horsepower, ending with an 11th…a rare hybrid grand tourer
| Model | Horsepower |
|---|---|
| 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage | 78 |
| 2024 Nissan Sentra | 149 |
| 2024 Honda Civic (base) | 158 |
| 2024 Toyota Camry (4-cylinder) | 202 |
| 2024 Porsche 911 Carrera (base) | 379 (GTS goes to 437 hp) |
| 2024 Lucid Air (Pure) | 430 (Sapphire goes to 1,234 hp) |
| 2024 Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica | 640 |
| 2024 Tesla Model S (Base) | 670 (Plaid goes to 1,020 hp) |
| 2024 McLaren 750S | 740 |
| 2023 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody | 807 |
| Koenigsegg Gemera (max available hp) | 2,300 |
Clearly, we humans create machines with quite a horsepower range, from “piddly” to arguably excessive. The 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage is a three-cylinder compact hatchback that takes more than 10 seconds to get from zero to 60 mph.
Once we get past compact economy cars, horsepower gets “mind-bending” pretty quick. I mentioned the 2023 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye for a bit of American muscle perspective. This Hellcat sedan option hits 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.
For 2024, Stellantis backed the Charger’s ponies off a bit and converted its most powerful version to an EV. The all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack makes 670 hp…quite a few ticks lower. Still more than a racecar-influenced Lamborghini, though.
Of note, the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire can do 0-60 in just 2.2 seconds.
Since higher horsepower cars are, well, more powerful, they’re also harder for drivers to control. This is why you might see (entertaining? tear-inducing?) viral clips of inexperienced supercar drivers accidentally totaling their extremely expensive models while surrounding cars just mosey along without issue.
When it comes to extreme horsepower, you might wonder how in the world some supercars are even street-legal. However, some are–like the Koenigsegg Gemera. The Gemera has an optional V8 engine making a near-incomprehensible 2,300 horsepower…and it’s legal to drive on regular roads. Its top speed? 270 mph. Don’t expect to see many of them around town, though: it takes at least $1.7 million to get one.
