Canada makes the most powerful car in the world!

Top 10 most powerful cars in the world
Welcome to the 1,000-plus horsepower club

Nigel Matthews, Canwest News ServicePublished: Friday, March 13, 2009

The Green revolution has gone completely unnoticed by some in the automotive world, judging by the horsepower under the hoods of today's supercars.

SSC Ultimate Aero. Click the photo gallery link to see all the supercars.
Photograph by : Handout

 

Despite these tough economic times and our newfound environmental sensibilities, there is still an appetite to build and buy the next generation of supercar. There is now a new exclusive group called the 1000-horsepower club.

Let's put that into perspective. The World War Two Spitfire MK1A fighter plane tipped the scales at 2.9 tonnes and was powered with 1,175-hp engine. Most of the cars in the 1000-hp club are lightweights weighing little more than a tonne.

If a lottery win is in your future, you might want to cast your eyes over these top-ten supercars, rated by horsepower that qualify you for membership in the 1000-hp club. (All prices quoted in U.S. dollars.)

1. Locus Pléthore, 1,300-hp, $412,000.

Surprisingly the supercar with the highest horsepower rating is built in Canada. Perhaps this spectacular creation will help repair the memories of our last Canadian built sportscar the Bricklin SV1.

Dubbed the "Quebec Bomb", the Pléthore is built by HHT Locus Technologies in Quebec. The chassis and body is made entirely out of carbon fibre weighing approximately 1,134 kg. Fitted with the option high horsepower engine the 1,300-hp version has a power to weight ratio of a formula one racing car. The heavily modified 8.2 litre Chevrolet V-8 engine is mated to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission and capable of 328 km/h.

2. SSC Ultimate Aero, 1,287-hp, $620,000.

The SSC Ultimate Aero is an American-built mid-engine supercar, built by Shelby SuperCars (SSC), of West Richland, in Washington State, no relation to the famous Carroll Shelby.

It is capable of speeds in excess of 400 km/h thanks to the SSC 387-cid, V-8 billet aluminum engine block. The Aero knocked the Bugatti Veyron off its perch as the fastest car in the world when officials from the Guinness Book of World Records recorded an official speed of 411.85 km/h making it the world's fastest supercar.

3. Lotec Sirius, 1,200-hp, Price upon request!

Lotec is a small German company that works closely with Mercedes-Benz. Its uses the same 48-valve, 6.0-litre Mercedes-Benz V-12, with twin-turbochargers, that powers the Italian built Pagani Zonda. The Sirius uses the CIMA gearbox (also used by Koenigsegg) which sits behind the engine. The bodywork is made from the optimum combination of carbon, Kevlar and fibreglass materials.

A Lotec C-1000 at the 2005 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, sold for $225,000 but it was built at a cost of $2.2 million!

It weighs in at 1.2 tonnes, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 400 km/h.

4. Mosler 900S, 1,150-hp, $329,000.

The Mosler 900S is a culmination of over 20 years of research and development of Warren Mosler's technical team and designer Mark Trenne.

The California based company uses the iconic 5.7-litre Corvette LS6 engine, mated to a German Getrag 6-speed transmission. The body is comprised of three large sections of carbon-aluminum honeycomb over a chrome-molly tube chassis.

Nelson Racing in the USA has tweaked a Mosler accomplishing an output of 1,800-hp. The 900S can hit 100 km/h in 3 seconds and is capable of well over 320 km/h.

5. Zenvo ST1, 1,104-hp, Price has never been published.

The 1,104-hp Zenvo ST1 is a 100 percent Danish product. The cutting-edge, sharp lines and simplicity that is often associated with Danish design makes it a stunning car to look at. Everything about the Zenvo is over the top, from its turbocharged and supercharged (yes both, that is not a typo) 7.0-litre V-8 engine to the yards of carbon fibre covering its chassis. The transmission is a 6-speed manual that drives the rear wheels. This supercar has a 0-100 km/h time of 3.2 seconds and boasts a top speed of 373 km/h (233 mph) the top speed is electronically limited. Does it remind you of Darth Vader!