Doug Ross @ Journal

Horsepower Wars

I wanted to briefly revisit my "automotive prediction #1" for 2004: For better or worse, the automotive horsepower race will continue unabated. To see how far we've come, I herein contrast the horsepower and performance of my mid-tier sedan ('04 Infiniti G35) with luxury and performance models from 15 years ago (note: If you have any quibbles about my figures, please contact the editors of Performance Car magazine regarding the accuracy of their November, 1987 issue).

Year  Make/Model            0-60  HP

2004  Infiniti G35 Coupe     5.5  280 <==

1988  Porsche 911 Turbo      5.6  300

2004  Infiniti G35 Sedan     5.7  260 <==

1988  Ferrari Testarossa     6.0  390

1988  Porsche 911 Targa      6.1  231

1988  Porsche 944 Turbo      6.5  220

1988  Ferrari 328 GTB        6.8  270

1988  Nissan 300ZX Turbo     7.0  228

1988  BMW 325i               7.2  171

1988  Mercedes 500 SEC       7.3  245

1988  BMW 735i               7.6  220

1988  Toyota Supra           7.7  201

1988  Mercedes 190E 2.3-16   8.0  185

1988  BMW 528i               8.3  183

1988  Saab 900 Turbo 16V     8.5  175

1988  Mazda RX-7             8.5  150

1988  Honda Accord 2.0       8.6  137

1988  Acura Legend           9.5  172

A few caveats: the 1988 figures are from Euro-spec cars, which are generally quicker and possess more HP than equivalent, US-bound models. If we compared US vehicles to the '04 Infiniti, the performance disparity would be even greater!

Now... can you imagine what 2018 will bring? 400 HP sports sedans? 600 HP sports cars? 0-60 in 2.9 seconds? My neck is hurting just thinking about it.