One of the longest held 0-60 records of all time

"RightFootDown" (rightfootdown) 07/15/2014 at 13:52 • Filed to: None

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Think back and remember all the greatest supercars; the McLaren F1, the original Koeniggsegg, Ferrari F40 and F50, the Saleen S7 and so on. Now think of how quickly they can reach 60mph; blistering fast, most in the low 3-4 second range. Of all these cars and of all the supercars that you could get, which do you suppose held the title for fastest 0-60 for the longest amount of time? McLaren? Ferrari? Nope, none of those. In fact the longest title for 0-60 was actually held by a Ford. This one to be specific.

http://www.rightfootdown.com/2014/one-longe…

This is an RS200 Evolution, it is a homologated road car that was meant to race in WRC's Group B era. You probably know it from when the series had cars going close to 165mph over dirt, snow, gravel, and ice. During the same period that saw countless spectators and drivers killed because of the insanity of these cars. But the RS200 Evolution stands out from the crowd because while homologation rules require the manufacturer to build a road going version, the rules don't really specify how similar you need to make it to the road going version.

Most manufacturers will detune the rally engines to be more compliant on the street by reducing suspension travel and a whole host of other things to make the car actually drivable. Look at Audi's Quattro, both the rally car version and the consumer car had similar layouts and the same type of engine, but that's where the similarity stopped. Ford decided that having "just" similarities was a stupid idea with the RS200 and gave the road version the whole bhp from the rally car with added interior. All 580bhp where put into this car. Let that sink in for a moment. 580bhp from a 2.1l inline 4 cylinder running 23 pounds of boost! That coupled with the low weight of 2300lbs and AWD, make this car an absolute animal. Take a look at some of these figures.

http://www.rightfootdown.com/2014/one-longe…

Engine: Ford/Cosworth BDT-E Inline-4position, Mid Longitudinal

Aspiration: Garrett Turbocharger

Valvetrain: DOHC, 4 Valves per CYL
Power: 432.5 kw / 580 bhp @ 8000 rpm, 491.53 bhp per ton

Torque: 400lb ft@5500rpm

One of my favorite stats is the tire widths. 225/50's on all four corners. They aren't massive Veyron tires, or anything you would think would have the ability to hook up all that power. They are practically Corolla tires. It's ridiculous. It had a full double wishbone suspension in both front and rear, and was mounted to the front and rear steel sub frames that attached to the aluminum chassis.

The rally and consumer car were co-developed by Ford and Cosworth as a mid-engine rally rocket ship. They saw how fast and how well a Formula 1 car handled and accelerated, so they tried to figure out how to build a rally car in the same way. What Ford did next was create Frankenstein's monster and then sold it to the general public. They took the very mundane road going Escort and threw away everything that actually made it a consumer car, and then replaced all of it with go-faster bits. They called the FiA and told them this is the consumer car, because it had a glove box, and were done with it. It was literally a rally car with some interior pieces in it. Ford built a total of 200 road legal cars and only 24 were converted to the Evolution spec. And. It. Was. Glorious. However, Ford didn't realize what they had done with this car until a bit later.

1986, in comes some bloke named Stig Blomvist, if you don't know who he is go to YouTube immediately, I will wait.

Back? Amazed? Yeah, he's that awesome.

http://www.rightfootdown.com/2014/one-longe…

Stig decided to set 0-60 times in the RS200 Evolution. He set the fastest 0-60 time of any road car for the next 12yrs. 3.07seconds. In 1986. In a homologated rally car. From Ford. The same company that brought you this in the same year.

If none of this is making your heart race, you are either dead, or insane. And usually the insane people get this rally. That's why I love this car. It is absolutely the most ridiculous car ever made.

Take into account just the engine, or the low weight, or even the unbelievably short wheelbase, which comes out to be 99"! It's a car of improbable numbers. For 12yrs it was the fastest from 0-60; beating out Ferrari, McLaren, and all the rest. Some say it could have gone faster, that Stig was actually short shifting it to save the transmission on the day Guinness was there. When turned up, the fastest Evolution's got to 60 in 2.1 seconds. That's amazing even by today's hypercar standards. It all comes down to the fact that I need one of these cars immediately. I may not fit due to my height, but I couldn't care less. This is a legend.

Photos via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and Ford
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With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 14:03

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This is my favorite type of oppo post. Glorious, and good job on the research and writing.

Related: I have heard (via references and allusions in more than a couple Mopar mags) that the '68 Hemi Dart S/S held the "production car" quarter-mile record of 10.5s from 1968 until it was surpassed by the Bugatti Veyron. I've yet to see a more solid source to back this up, or refute it. Anyone?

EL_ULY > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 14:07

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MIND BLOWN! awesome post! Genuine OPPO all the way

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 14:13

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Awesome post, thanks for this.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 14:15

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GREAT article.

So you are saying that when this car was in it's most powerful possible state of tune it could do 0-60 2.1 seconds? That's disturbingly fast. Must be about equal to the feeling of a space shuttle launch, haha.

HiredDriver > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 14:29

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The RS200 is so easily overlooked these days.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username 07/15/2014 at 14:35

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Before anyone blows a gasket about Darts never being that fast: the Hemi S/S cars were a limited factory run, but strictly speaking, not road cars. They had acid-dipped body panels lightweighht delivery van seats, and plexiglass widows, etc. They were drag machines, but straight from the factory. Yes, 10.5 seconds from the factory, with factory tires.

$kaycog > HiredDriver 07/15/2014 at 16:47

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The good old days.

nezuko > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:49

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Kudos for this post. Yesterday I saw the most beautiful car ever I've ever seen http://jalopnik.com/a-vintage-mase… and now I learn about this mad Ford. This is why I like Jalopnik.

Racescort666 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:52

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I have seen a few of these (regular RS200s not Evos) for sale in the $100k range. Still awesome.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:53

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I saw the McLaren in the picture and came here to say, "Maybe if you ignore the RS200 Evo" so you got me.

Also, keep in mind to those throwing around the 2.1s 0-60 in peak power trim, that was in the dirt!

daender > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:54

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This is more awesome than how the MK4 Supra set a braking distance record that required a Carrera GT to beat it! I know the car museum in on of Vegas's casinos had two or three for sale, including an EVO!

Sheriff Of American Douchetown > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:55

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Doug Nash > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:56

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Love that crazy beast. Isn't it correct, though, that it was such a ferocious engine that it essentially required a full tear-down and rebuild after each race? Then again, I assume that is roughly par for the course with any true race engine.

ScreenShot > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:57

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1,115 hp...

Mach 2 Racing's Ford RS200 Evolution, built to take the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb record in under 10 minutes.

RSBro > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:57

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You could have at least picked a pretty F1 to put as the cover photo... ;o

TeamFJ > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:57

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Great post! What an absolutely mental car.

davedave1111 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 07/15/2014 at 16:58

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Big rockets like that accelerate relatively slowly to start with. The Saturn V apparently did 0-60 in about 1.5 seconds, so a bit faster. Then again, the car would be faster if it wasn't accelerating from rest, so I guess through the gears it's about the same acceleration.

Of course once the fuel burns off in a rocket, then it really gets going.

I think the shuttle had a higher initial acceleration at launch, but I have no idea how much by.

Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:59

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I knew this! Rs200 is the rogue in the pantheon of royalty. Glorious

stevethecurse > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 16:59

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This is the type of insanity we need in modern production cars. We need this back asap.

rude80y > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 17:01

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*Jaw hits floor*

A whole goddamn warehouse?

Scott Nixon > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:03

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Tim Allen has one in his Burbank garage, so you know it's good.

rude80y > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:03

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Like others have said; this is an excellent post.

It really surmises Ford attitude of the era: 'You want a road-legal rally car? Here's your road-legal rally car. Just remember that you've bought a ROAD-LEGAL RALLY CAR!'.

dustin_driver > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:03

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2.1 seconds is super bike fast. Total insanity.

Garrett Davis > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 17:04

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Ah, the 548th time $kay posts this picture and it still has the same effect. Gotta love it.

BrianScalabrine > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:04

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What car took the record from it?

Garrett Davis > ScreenShot 07/15/2014 at 17:05

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Me: "That's my car."

Them: "Yeah right, then why isn't your name... on... damn it."

feather-throttle-not-hair > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:06

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I like the part where the one thing you mentioned that makes the rs200 a road car (glovebox) is something my way-more-of-a-road car-than-an-rs200 car didn't get from the factory. Sigh. Why Nissan? Why? What is a car without a glovebox?

Also, I saw an rs200 driving on the street in Japan once when I was 15. Loudest car I'd ever heard.

Garrett Davis > Doug Nash 07/15/2014 at 17:06

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I think I remember reading that the engine had about 10 hours of WOT life. Pretty nuts.

Stephen > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:06

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Hello sir, I have been politely informed that you appreciate world-class acceleration from your motor car. Therefore, I have arranged to greatly improve the acceleration of your already world-class motor car so that you may accelerate the acceleration of your motor car while you motor your way around the land, all while accelerating Guinness motor car acceleration world records.

Autolegend86 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:06

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I still remember the Guinness record book from more than 10 years ago and not having a clue on what the RS200 was. Gran Turismo 2 changed that quickly.

MFEJAL grey because who knows... > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:09

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Nigel Mansell sampled a Peugeot 205 T16 and said it could out-accelerate his F1 car.

Ari Vatanen put the car in 2nd gear, revved till 8000rpm, and slip his feet from the clutch.

0-100kmh (0-62mph) in 2.3 sec. Try to find a video, maybe Peugeot Presse has something. Here's another one.

Brede > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:10

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Group B homologation brought us a lot of awesome cars. Some of my favorites are the Sport Quattro (even awesomer is the S1 as featured in the above video), and the Delta Integrale.

ScreenShot > Garrett Davis 07/15/2014 at 17:10

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And a damn fine car it is, too!

MrMcQueen > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:10

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I share your sentiment on height issues. At 6'5, there are tons of awesome classics I'll never get a chance to drive. Hell, even some of the newer cars are a pain (I'm looking at you Corvette!)

feather-throttle-not-hair > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:12

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Like anything, this article can be easily summed up through Belgian rally cross videos from the 80's.

Observe.

whats that camera guy? You should've brought two cameras?

$kaycog > Garrett Davis 07/15/2014 at 17:12

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You know how much I love that picture. Yeah, I post it every chance I get. :D

Garrett Davis > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 17:15

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No one's asking you to stop ;)

It's too bad there isn't a higher res version out there. I've looked quite a bit and couldn't find one.

AJ_Lethal > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:17

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The only other race car I know that can hit the 0-60 in 2.1s is the McLaren F1 GTR. And that one showed up 11 years later.

Awesome.

JLZ06 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:19

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I see your RS200 Evo and will raise you with Dauer 962 LM. Basically a road going Porsche 962, which is just Porsche's most successful prototype racecar.

491.53 bhp/tonne you say? how does 708.74 bhp/tonne sound to you with a 0-60 time of 2.6 secs.

This is my ultimate dream car.

Zoom > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:20

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The little chirpity from the bov makes it.

Toyotathong! > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username 07/15/2014 at 17:22

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Delivery van seats?!

IMissTheOldInternet > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 17:22

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Slow relative to what? 0-60 in 1.5 seconds is like 25% faster than any car I've ever seen numbers for. I admit it's slow relative to unmanned rockets, but in terms of vehicles I can't think of much faster.

I Can be Stig? > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:26

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Even the F&F franchise paid homage (even if it was a replica - skip to 1:44)

472CID > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:27

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Ha, I saw the title and lead photo and thought; wasn't the RS200 clocked at 2.8 seconds? sure enough...

davedave1111 > IMissTheOldInternet 07/15/2014 at 17:28

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Slow relative to later in the burn, I meant. Now you mention it, I'm not sure, but I suspect fighter jets achieve even higher accelerations, although for much shorter periods and not from rest. Aren't the fastest drag cars somewhere around that mark?

4play > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 17:30

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A rocket would be right at 0 to 60 mph in 1.5 second. The average acceleration is 2-3Gs. Yes, a car can (somewhat) keep up until 60 mph, but the rocket will keep on accelerating at that rate for 5+ minutes.

Blondude > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:34

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While not the outright fastest acceleration, I think the original Shelby Cobra 427 S/C's 0-100-0 times should also be mentioned. Back in 1966 a Cobra did it in 13.2 seconds. By comparison, the McLaren F1 LM does it in 11.5 and a few years earlier Aston Martin was bragging about how their DB4 could do it in under 25 seconds.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/1965-s…

IMissTheOldInternet > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 17:36

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Top fuel dragsters are way below that mark—I usually don't even think of them as cars, but if you count them I think you'll find them in low tenths of a second territory. Point taken about later in the burn for the Saturns. It just struck me that relative to supercars, the old Saturn Vs were actually pretty quick.

IvanaTinkle > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:37

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How much horsepower does the Evolution actually have? I can't find a concrete number. I remember in Forza 4, it had something like 500.

davedave1111 > IMissTheOldInternet 07/15/2014 at 17:38

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Well, later in the burn they accelerate a lot faster, but I found it interesting that when they're just getting going they don't out-accelerate a really fast car by much at all.

JB1 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:44

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Dear Ford,

Please put this 2.1 turbo engine into the next focus ST or upcoming RS.

Where's my roll bar? > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:49

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"During the same period that saw COUNTLESS spectators and drivers killed because of the insanity of these cars. "

Pretty sure you could count them, even look all of their names up somewhere. I doubt there were even so many that figuratively speaking, as you were, "countless" could be applied to the number.

Malforus > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 17:49

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According to the Encyclopedia Astronautica the Saturn V Liftoff thrust and acceleration are as follows:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Translating through this nifty site: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/car-accelerati…

I get a 0-100 km/hr in the 7.5 second range to align with the 3.7 m/(s*s) acceleration rate.

So no the Saturn V did not do 0-60 in 1.5 seconds, it did it in about 7.5. However that is not to say it wasn't freakishly fast, after its initial burn it was doing kilometers per second..and that burn lasted minutes.

Which also makes sense as it takes at least two seconds if you watch the launches post T-0 (engine start is actually seconds prior to launch proper) the rocket is "barely" moving at 1.5 seconds.

Jonathon Klein > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 07/15/2014 at 17:50

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It was stupid fast, god I want a go in it.

Jonathon Klein > EL_ULY 07/15/2014 at 17:50

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Thanks!

LazyLemming > feather-throttle-not-hair 07/15/2014 at 17:51

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Jeebus that was like watching Usain Bolt run in the Special Olympics

Nytmare > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 17:56

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1986 Ford RS200 Road Version $225,000

1986 Ford RS200 Evolution $350,000

LugNutz > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 17:57

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Top Fuel cars will hit the 60ft beams in <.800 at around 100mph. This is all dependent on the track and tune, but a good rule of thumb. 0-60 would be in the .600-.700 range.

DropTopEnvy > JLZ06 07/15/2014 at 17:58

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It sounds.. slower, and doesn't seem to have anything to do with lengthy records. So, not good. It doesn't sound too good (comparatively).

Driven > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:02

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The RS200 in question was the Evolution model, of which only 24 were made. The proper road-going version only had 250HP.

350Zed > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 18:12

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Once the fuel burns off in a rocket, it maintains constant velocity (subject to any external force decelerating it). [ref. Newton's first law of motion]

VanSam > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:13

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I really don't think the road cars actually put down that much power, 500+ was rally spec power, with the later evolution versions hitting well over 600. I think the road cars had something more like 250-300 hp when new.

maristgrad > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:16

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The original Stig was the man, nice.

davedave1111 > 350Zed 07/15/2014 at 18:18

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Hoho. The peak of acceleration is just before the fuel runs out.

davedave1111 > LugNutz 07/15/2014 at 18:22

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So really catapults on aircraft carriers are unnecessary. You could just hook the plane up to a top fuel dragster and tow it into the air :)

Flavien Vidal > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:22

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If Clarkson can fit in it, so can you ;)

ktonl > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:28

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Using a Mclaren F1 for clickbait?

I fell for it... <3

JGutz164 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:29

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Yeah, I'm a sucker for big tires as well.

9brghtn4 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:29

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That's the thing, see, they could do this in 1986 and we don't have stuff like that with 28-yr newer technology. So much bullshit. Just do a fucking cheap 1300 lbs 600hp car already, someone.

Dusty Ventures > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 18:29

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DD, Track, Burn:

Original GT40, RS200, Ford GT. Go!

sdrr > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:29

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Where are the survivors? How much are they going for?

mhitchner > davedave1111 07/15/2014 at 18:30

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I feel like someone should do this, with plenty of GoPros on hand of course.

Matt White > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username 07/15/2014 at 18:32

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I'm going to say nope. I did some digging and the Hemi '68's were 3527lbs and made 425 GROSS hp. So it would probably make Mid-300's net hp (assuming the ratings weren't BS, but I don't know enough about mopar to know if they were as bad as chevy on that) and with a power to weight ratio like that and with 1960's tires, even drag ones there's no way. Even if it was 425 net hp I still would find that hard to believe as there are plenty of modern production cars with a power to weight ratio like that that are not 10 second cars.

Just to put things into perspective. Our hypothetical Dart with 425 sae net hp comes in at 8.298 lbs per hp. A Ferrari 360 has 7.11 pounds per horsepower. The real hemi dart with 425 sae gross is closer to 10 pounds per horsepower, but that's just an educated guess as I can't find figures on what net hp those things made stock so I'm assuming 425 gross = 350 net in this car which is fairly consistent with Ford and Chevy's of the same era. The Ferrari 360 does a standing 1/4 mile in 12.8s if you know what you are doing. I don't think a car with a worse pwr/weight ratio can slice 2 seconds off of that time.

$kaycog > Dusty Ventures 07/15/2014 at 18:33

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DD: Ford GT Track: GT40 Rally: RS200 Burn: None

#ToughOneDusty

Dusty Ventures > AJ_Lethal 07/15/2014 at 18:36

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Current rallycross Fiestas have been clocked doing 0-60 as fast as 1.8

BiPolarWithCars > Matt White 07/15/2014 at 18:36

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The Big 3 were forced to under rate the power their engines were putting out due to corporate agreements.

sevenspokes > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:39

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ford needs to make a detuned version of this and sell it. sell it for 35-50k call it whatever the fuck you want, i will sell my blood to buy one

Dusty Ventures > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 18:40

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I see what you did there. Well played.

eurojulien > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 18:41

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Zacchaeus > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:49

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Great article. I had just watched an outdated History Channel special about how the McLaren F1 and newcomer Koenigsegg CCR are sooo fast so it's interesting to see a more in-depth look of what that really means

Hobbes.drives.an.A5 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:51

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Group B.

Legendary cars from an era it's hard to imagine today. These cars were achieving incomprehensible 0-60 times without the aid of insanely effective launch management software.

Plus, did you see how narrow the tyres were on that Quattro??!! Perfect example of how balance and skill can triumph over grip.

Bighead38 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:51

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So what is the current 0-60 record for factory road cars? Anyone have a link to a top ten fastest?

OppositeLoctopus > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:53

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They took the very mundane road going Escort and threw away everything that actually made it a consumer car, and then replaced all of it with go-faster bits. They called the FiA and told them this is the consumer car, because it had a glove box, and were done with it.

I feel like I should not have to say this, but the RS200 was not at all based on the Escort. That's pretty much like saying that the GT500 NSX was based on an Accord.

EAGLE 5 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 18:56

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Ford > GM it really is that simple.

melikecars > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 07/15/2014 at 18:57

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I don't even think I can shift that quickly, lol.

Illuminatty Light > $kaycog 07/15/2014 at 19:06

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I WANT TO GO TO THERE

$kaycog > Illuminatty Light 07/15/2014 at 19:07

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ME TOO!

ThatbastardKurtis > LazyLemming 07/15/2014 at 19:09

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And I would still take the pink Porsche 911 slatnose over the RS200—-in terms of looks. And the Porsche was RWD not AWD correct? It did well for that.

Nick-Speed > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 19:10

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Are you a writer or a professional liar? You couldn't even do some basic research? Your statement "During the same period that saw countless spectators and drivers killed" is not true and you should, and probably do, know it. What is your point in saying otherwise? There were spectators and drivers killed during the Group B era (as there were before and after that era) and they can be counted using two hands. Your assertion to build the RS200 Ford "took the very mundane road going Escort" is completely false. The RS200 had nothing whatsoever to do with any Escort. You may be thinking of the later Group A Cosworth Escort. Try separating fact from fiction next time. If there is one.

porchswingheroswingsagain > Matt White 07/15/2014 at 19:12

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Consider this. A stock spec rebuilt 426 hemi makes 630+ at the crank at around 7000rpm. In the golden age cars advertised power peak was at the same rpm as their torque peak.

tf3cac > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 19:14

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I've always wondered if the RS200 Evo's counted as true production cars though. I can't seem to find a figure on how many Ford themselves actually up-tuned in house to full Evo trim as a production car.

boxjohn > Toyotathong! 07/15/2014 at 19:23

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yep. the backrest was short, there was no adjustability, they were the lightest and cheapest things they could bolt in, so they did. These kinds of cars had everything deletes. No heater, no radio, no non-required mirrors, nothing.

boxjohn > Matt White 07/15/2014 at 19:24

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no 426 hemi makes <450HP at the crank. Realistically it's well into the 500's on a bad day.

Justin51784 > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 19:29

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So can anyone just make shit up and post it here? The road car was 250hp not the same 580 that the rallye car made.

A nearly 600hp 4-pot would have the reliability of an all out race engine... Because that's what it would have to be.

So basically this article is comparing a group b rallye car to production cars.

Mike Bonner > stevethecurse 07/15/2014 at 19:32

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The great thing is that modern, although admittedly very expensive, production cars are faster, and much less expensive production cars are not that much slower. The 911 TT does 0 - 60 in 2.8 seconds...or 2.6 depending on whom you believe. I realize the RS200 is from an entirely different era and was like the freaky chick with piercings and tattoos that does stuff while the 911 TT is like a very expensive to maintain supermodel that doesn't do stuff, but I think the new Mustang GT will have around 500 hp for 30k, the new Z06 will have 650 hp, and the new Hellcat has 707 hp. It's a great time to be a car enthusiast...although I too would like to see more manual transmissions and less electric steering.

Justin51784 > Justin51784 07/15/2014 at 19:32

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also, only the latest "evolution" models made 550+ hp! the normal rallye cars that actually competed in group b were 350-450hp.

Please do some research before publishing lies.

Ad_absurdum_per_aspera > IMissTheOldInternet 07/15/2014 at 19:33

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It depends a lot on the rocket — and on when you start counting.

A Saturn V configured for an Apollo landing would take nine or ten seconds to clear the gantry, and I think it hasn't yet cracked 60 mph at that point. I think the Shuttle would reach this speed in about half the time.

Caution: The only Saturn V/Apollo speed "data" I can find in a coffee-break timeframe are from a simulation superimposed on actual flight footage. However, that jibes with one's impression of how heavy lift boosters just seem to kinda sit there doing nothing for a while, then start out painfully slow (during which time they're burning kerosene and LOX at a tremendous rate, becoming lighter by about, oh, an entire Formula One starting grid per second, which helps them speed up). I'm sure there is actual telemetry data out there on the Intertubes for someone who cares to corroborate or contradict this SWAG.

Well, sure! The whole thing, including fuel, weighed something like 3100 tons at the outset, and even if you can impart more g's, doing so costs money, and so does building a vehicle that can withstand them; nobody thought it could or should be a dragster.

In case a Saturn V comes up on Nice Price or Crack Pipe ("high mileage but used only for one commute; needs TLC — some rust; marine salvage may be required; need to clean up title") here's the owner's manual . The performance chart on PDF page 23 shows that it takes almost half a second from "first motion" to liftoff, and a total of about 20 seconds to commence and nine seconds to complete (more like 10-11 seconds in practice, I think) the slight yawing of the gimballed engines that takes it away from the gantry. Speed at this point is not mentioned.

I think people who mention supercar-like 0-60 times for heavy lift boosters, especially the stately Saturn V, are making false assumptions about the linearity of the left-hand tail of the curve, based on the time it takes to reach some much higher measured speed (remember it's getting lighter by 15 tons a second).

I don't know if NASA even bothered to measure the 0-60 time, which is a PR fun fact that people can relate to since they are familiar with what their car can do, but has little technical significance in that context (as some wag put it, what really matters with Apollo is not 0-60 when the light turns green, but the 60-1600 mph passing time). Again, there might be raw telemetry data out there for somebody to figure it out.

Meanwhile, I'm betting that it is unimpressive — until you consider that at 6.2 million pounds you're basically standing a modest sized freight train on end and making it fly straight up.

LostPuppySyndrome > dustin_driver 07/15/2014 at 19:36

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I've never heard of any street bikes getting anywhere near that quick. Even Busas don't do sub-2.5.

HiwattScott > RightFootDown 07/15/2014 at 19:44

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I'm actually not too surprised, cause it's one of my favorite cars in Forza. Smokes nearly anything off the line.

Turbo Bacon > MFEJAL grey because who knows... 07/15/2014 at 19:55

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I came to say this. As I recall it was 2.3 sec on gravel, but I might be mistaken as it has been a long time since this happened. Also wasn't it the pikes peak spec 205 T16 that did this or was that one even faster accelerating?