Highest Horsepower Per Liter Naturally Aspirated Engine

Highest Horsepower Per Liter Naturally Aspirated Engine

Ferrari

Natural aspiration offers some great features, like sonorous exhaust notes and sky-high redlines. Through engineering wizardry, these cars have engines that achieve ridiculous power-per-liter ratios—a true test of efficiency and performance.

Porsche

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Porsche 911 GTS: 113.2 hp/liter

The 3.8-liter flat-six found in the back of the GTS squeezes out another 30 hp on top of what it churns out in the Carrera S, giving it a total of 430 hp. Meant to bridge the gap between the Carrera S and the GT3, we found that it definitely hits that mark. You get the extra power and the high-revving responsiveness of the GT3, but you're also paying way less for it. Sounds like the perfect 911.

Tom Salt

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Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV: 113.8hp/liter

We salute Lamborghini for keeping with the naturally aspirated, hulking 6.5-liter V12 in its flagship supercar. Making 704 hp, the SV has all the angles and sharp features you expect from a Lambo. It cost half a million dollars (a bargain compared to the $4.5 million Veneno that shares it engine) and has a blistering top speed of 217 mph.

Lamborghini

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Lamborghini Huracan: 115.8 hp/liter

The Huracan is the long-awaited replacement for the aging Gallardo. With a dual-clutch gearbox, adaptive dampers, and a 602-hp V10 cradled behind the seats, Lamborghini somehow managed to coax an extra 40 hp out of the V10 up from the Gallardo. And although the Huracan looks smaller than the Gallardo, it really isn't—it's about six inches longer. More car, more performance, it seems.

YouTube

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Ferrari F12berlinetta: 115.9 hp/liter

After just 6.6 seconds, the Berlinetta can hit 100 mph. In just 10.9 seconds, it will hit a quarter mile at almost 130 mph. And past 170 mph, it keeps accelerating. The 6.3-liter V12 under the hood is a truly wondrous thing, making 730-hp. When we tested it in 2013, we crowned it the quickest RWD production car in history.

Audi

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Audi R8 V10 Plus: 117.3 hp/liter

The 5.2-liter V10 in the Audi redlines at a lofty 8500 rpm and has a V10 howl to match. The dual-clutch gearbox helps it tick through the gears at lightning speed, and the standard carbon-ceramic brakes keep you from sailing off the road. This is Audi's latest answer to the great supercar race, packing 610 hp to all four wheels, and provides both an impressive lap time and a comfortable ride home.

Dean Smith

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Ferrari F12tdf: 122.2 hp/liter

Because the F12berlinetta wasn't fast enough, Ferrari poked the 6.3-liter engine with a stick to get an even angrier 770 hp. It can run a full two seconds faster than the F12 around Fiorano, and takes quite a bit of skill to drive well. The electronic stability control systems on board refuse to lend a hand to less experienced drivers, and if you aren't careful, you'll soon find yourself facing the wrong direction.

Porsche

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Porsche 911 GT3 RS: 123.3 hp/liter

Porsche upped the standard GT3's displacement from 3.8 to 4.0 for the RS version, and the resulting power comes to 493 hp. It can rev up to a heavenly 8250 rpm, and despite the Turbo-like side air intakes, the RS remains gloriously turbo free. It's a race car disguised as a sports car, and it will be the last naturally aspirated GT3 RS we'll have, as the 991.2-generation Porsches will all be turbocharged moving forward.

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Porsche 911 GT3: 125 hp/liter

The 3.8-liter flat-six in the GT3 has been tuned to a near-impossible 475-hp output, giving the GT3 an absurdly high naturally aspirated power-per-liter ratios. With the 991-gen GT3, Porsche abandoned the Mezger motor, but that didn't turn out to be a drawback. After all, a 9000-rpm redline is still mighty impressive.

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Ferrari 458: 126.7 hp/liter

Ferrari is no stranger to naturally aspirated, small-displacement V8s, and the 4.5-liter V8 in the 458 is no exception. Generating 570-hp, "it's a feral, screaming animal, a 9000-rpm generator of varying tone, pitch, and resonance that can be played like a fine musical instrument," we reported. No one can mistake the sound of this Ferrari's V8.

Porsche

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Porsche 918 Spyder: 130.4 hp/liter

Yeah, sure, the 918 Spyder has two electric motors, but we're still wildly impressed by the 600-hp output of the 4.6-liter V8 that drives the rear wheels. The engine shares blood with the motor in the 918 race car and can rev over a dizzying 9100 rpm. Porsche's newest hypercar costs $845,000, but considering the $1 million-plus price tags of its competitors, the Ferrari LaFerrari and the McLaren P1, you could almost call the 918 a bargain. Almost.

Ferrari

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Ferrari 458 Speciale: 132.7 hp/liter

Coming in at the top of our list is the very striped and very powerful Ferrari 458 Speciale. Ferrari wrung out nearly 30 extra horsepower, effectively upping the power-per-liter ratio to an unheard of naturally-aspirated 132.7-hp per liter. We called the throttle "sharp enough to shave with."

Highest Horsepower Per Liter Naturally Aspirated Engine

Source: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g6550/11-naturally-aspirated-cars-crazy-horsepower-per-liter/

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