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Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

Dodge Demon exorcised by Rhys Millen in new video

When you call your car something like the Demon, it provides plenty of opportunity to play around with the name ͗ especially when said car has 840 horsepower directed to the rear wheels. Pennzoil is doing just that in the above video, called "Exorcising the Demon." In it, Rhys Millen tears up the streets of Pittsburgh at night in a black and yellow Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, smoking tires, popping wheelies and breaking the rear end loose in massive drifts around corners. He even pulls a pretty hairy 360. It's certainly a lot different sort of driving from the straight-line drag-strip experience for which the Dodge Demon was purpose-built. At the end of the video, Millen parks the car below a gargoyle, whose eyes briefly glow a menacing red. Millen sends a text message saying "The Demon is back in its place." The response: "Das good. How are you in the Ring?" (Hmm.) Then the clip ends, and we're told the story will be continued. If you don't want to wait for more cinematic Demon action, you can check out Pennzoil's behind-the-scenes video, called, "Unleashing Unprecedented Power." In it, we get to see more angles of the stunt driving, hear about the production, and, of course, get a plug for Pennzoil: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Pennzoil also offers a few other Dodge Demon videos, one about the car's development, one about its performance, and a third focused on Pennzoil Synthetics. Earlier this year, Pennzoil also did a similar video series to bid farewell to the Dodge Viper. Related Video: News Source: Pennzoil Dodge Coupe Performance Videos dodge demon dodge challenger srt demon pennzoil

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has 707 glorious horsepower [w/video]

Hold onto your butts. "600-plus horsepower" is what we were told to expect from the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT with its 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8 engine. But as we've just learned, those were incredibly conservative numbers. Dodge has officially announced that the range-topping Challenger will hit the asphalt with 707 - seven hundred and seven - horsepower, making it the "most powerful muscle car ever."
Of course, 707 hp is only part of the story, as the Hellcat has also been confirmed to produce 650 pound-feet of torque. All that power will run exclusively to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission that differs from other Challengers. The new gearbox, 8HP90 (rather than the 8HP70) is "upgraded to handle the extra power and torque," says Dan Reid, SRT's manager of product design and motorsports.
We certainly hope you're prepared to spend a ton of money replacing tires.