Looking at the crop of new cars out now, at what point will HP numbers and speed hit their "wall"

Muscle cars and speed hit their wall with a gas crisis. Performance numbers dropped off to just horrid figures?

Car makers seem to have the Fuel Injection and computer down pretty well now. Some of the HP numbers in the common car are starting to get scary. I remember just a decade ago when the Mustangs 225HP was a nice number, if your car was above 200 hp, that was pretty good.

Now, it seems just about everything will break 200, accords, neons, subarus. Heck, a wrangler is knocking on 200s door.

I'll use 1/4 mile as the mark for speed, since it is easiest. Right now it seems that the average time for a car is high 15/low 16. Cars don't really get any respect for speed unles they are in the 14's. F-Body's before they were killed off where in the 13's. That is just amazing in retrospec.

I'll use the WRX for this part, since that is what I own. The average new car sold right now is clocking in at 24-25 grand. So I will use the WRX as a car the "average" buyer in the new car market can purchase. So right now, the average person buying a new car can get something that just a decade ago would have ruled the streets over most sports cars. I'd say 15 or so years ago, it could have run with the "supercars" of that time. Not to mention out handle, drive in the snow and get close to 30 mpg.

So when will the next "wall" hit? What will cause it? Or will HP numbers keep rising until your run of the mill car is pushing 300hp and 14 flat timeslips? Maybe the auto industry will start to focus on better all around packages (Keep HP where they are now and improve handling) . Your thoughts?

I have many more thoughts and ideas but thought I'd keep the first post somewhat short. Discuss

/\rcanum

 

When I was going from Denver to Vegas, I pulled a 27.7mpg in my car. I do hit 26-27 pretty often if it is a straight freeway shot.

With the demise of the F-Body, is it possible that American taste in straight line performance in a car is dwindling? Is there going to be a shift in a more well balanced car?

/\rcanum

 

It's the f'd up insurance companies that killed the f-body....

the insurance companies screwed up the muscle cars just as much as the gas crisis

ask your insurance company what the insurance is on a camaro ss and try not to laugh too hard when they give you the numbers

kinda hard to drag race when you can't afford to drive the car

 

I did that about 3 years ago. I had my SS all picked out. Payments were not a problem for the car. As you said, the friggin insurance was mind boggling. Me - No tickets or accidents ever, but (at the time) 22 years old, male and single. So I ended up getting a Dakota R/T.

I'm thinking after I am done with my WRX, I will get another sport truck if there is something nice on the market at that time. It was nice to pull off some good track times and fit a fridge in the back bed later in the day.

I WOULD kill someone for the new Ram SRT-10 coming out.

Somebody must need some killing to be done

/\rcanum