Having racked up nearly 20 years in this business, I figure I've driven a couple thousand test cars. During those years, I've also discussed the ideals behind building performance vehicles with several hundred car company engineers, stylists, marketing gurus, and top level executives. One observation from all the personal research is that performance machines, and those who design them, can be divided by one simple question: Low-rpm torque or high-rpm horsepower?
Frankly, you'd be surprised who's on what side of that argument. There are plenty of American engineers who long for a proper small-displacement, high-rpm, 225-horsepower, naturally aspirated four-cylinder to put into an affordable sport coupe. Conversely, I've met several Japanese designers who have the hots for V-8s with the low-rpm grunt of a Chevy big-block.
As a child of the musclecar era, I'm a torque guy. From my earliest recollections of neighborhood teens in GTOs and 409s peeling out the entire length of my block, it was big V-8s and tire smoke for me.
However, over the years, I've learned to appreciate any well-designed car, regardless of its level of torque. Driving a vintage Porsche 356 can make me grin, and piloting a new Honda Prelude VTEC can elicit a smile. But nothing plasters that wicked wanton look of treadlife destruction on my mug like a solid dose of ground-pounding, tire-shredding, pavement-melting torque. In my book, torque means power without having to wait (revving the engine) to get it.
I guess the list of cars I've owned tells that tale: Corvette 427, Plymouth GTX 440 Magnum, Shelby GT500KR 427, Pontiac Grand Prix 428 H.O. Hell, even the '60s Eldorados I own can smoke their tires for better than 50 feet. To do that with a 5000-pound sled takes real power, spelled t-o-r-q-u-e!
Of course, there's Viper V-10 torque and then there's Ferrari V-12 torque: The difference is in the delivery. Pile-driver crude or velvety smooth, I like torque so long as there's a lot of it. I'll trade 25 horsepower for 25 more pound-feet of torque any day of the week.
Aren't sure if you're a horsepower lover or a torque fiend? Take our simple Horsepower Litmus Test (only one answer per question, please):
1. I most like the sweet power delivery of a:A.) Dodge Viper GTSB.) Ferrari F3552. The best feature of the GM EV1 is that it generates maximum torque at 1 rpm. A.) True B.) False
3. I'd rather drive cross-country in a '69 Corvette ZL1 with a serial killer as my navigator than go to the mall in an Acura NSX. A.) TrueB.) FalseC.) I get the point, but maybe this one's a little much
4. I like the '99 Mustang GT better than the '99 Mustang Cobra.A.) TrueB.) False
5. When I floor my car's throttle from an idle, I want:A.) Instant rip-your-head-off accelerationB.) To wait several seconds before the rip-your-head-off acceleration commences
6. I get most turned on by:A.) The sight of an Indy Car burning out of the pitsB.) The sound of an Indy Car at redline
7. When reading MT's spec charts, I first look at the:A.) Torque ratingB.) Horsepower ratingC.) Airbag count
8. I prefer:A.) Pushrods and superchargersB.) Overhead cams and turbosC.) Macaroni and cheese
9. My favorite car movie is:A.) "Bullitt"B.) "Grand Prix"
10. My heroes are:A.) The guys who designed the 427 ChevyB.) The guys who designed the Mazda rotary turbo
Obviously, answering "A" to all questions proves that you're a bona fide torquemeister. And, probably, a person who goes through a lot of tires. A whole bunch of "B" answers tells the world that you're a high-rpm horsepower lover-not that there's anything wrong with that!
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President Lee KelleyVice President/Publisher Doug Hamlin
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