DougFL

Ok, a lot of people get all spun up about horsepower... adding more and more, etc. Of course torque plays a role too.

So here is my question, all else being equal what is the true measure (if anything) of the speed of a car (aside from the driver lol).

Take for example:

2005 Mustang GT stock puts out I believe 300 hp at 300 ft lbs of torque

2012 Chevy Camaro (V6) puts out 323 hp at 278 ft lbs torque

Obviously the GT has the larger V8 engine... but would the GT be faster even with a lower hp rating since it has a bigger engine and more torque? If so, how far does that stretch (meaning if a car had 290 hp @ 310 ft lbs of torque - would IT be faster than the stock GT)?

I'm not looking to solve any specific dilemmas with this question... just trying to get a better understanding of where the "SPEED" comes from. Thoughts?

fakesnake

I think the winner between these two would be the GT because of its higher torque and lower weight in terms of 0-60 "speed".

"Speed" in terms of top end would come down to gearing (lower numerically like 3.31 vs 4.11) and coefficient of drag and of course whether the speed limiter was removed.