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170629 lamborghini aventador s 01 04ay
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aston martin dbs superleggera melbourne 14 m63u
Charles May27 Dec 2018
FEATURE

Five 500kW-plus powerhouses

Is too much grunt ever enough?

Remember the days when 500 horsepower was unheard of on the road?

Think back to the supercar bull run of the 1980s. The Ferrari F40’s 478hp (357kW) was mind-crushing; the Porsche 959’s 450hp (331kW) a technological tour de force; the Lamborghini Countach QV snorting 455hp (340kW) via its six-carb V12.

Jump ahead three decades and roads are laced with 500hp-plus mid-size sedans with four doors and a decent boot; think the ABDC-winning 375kW Alfa Romeo Giulia QV (yes, it is more powerful than those iconic supercar standard setters).

Today, the hypercar generation demands 500… kiloWatts. We’ve sifted through the new car lists in the market and come up with the five most powerful combatants in Australian showrooms right now.

5. McLaren 720S

For many years, the 6.1-litre, naturally-aspirated V12 powering the McLaren F1 was the engine. Looking again at the figures in this introduction, the F1’s 461kW was extra-terrestrial back in the mid-1990s… and still exceptional today.

Of course, the McLaren Automotive of 2018 is a far different proposition, with the Woking bods returning to the production car game back in 2011, with the MP4-12C.

Since then, we’ve seen various evolutions on the theme, all with mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged V8s, rear-wheel drive and aerodynamic addenda taken from racing expertise.

mclaren 720s 3755 zst6

Currently sitting atop the pile in Australia is the McLaren 720S, which is 91 per cent new, according to McLaren.

Also new to the 720S is the latest 3994cc version of the V8 engine, the 200cc-odd capacity lift coming via an increased stroke.

Power is pumped to 530kW at a high (for a turbo motor of relatively large capacity) 7500rpm, alongside a 770Nm torque peak at an also-high 5500rpm.

This engine may not create the raw emotion of a soaring V12 – or even an American-style V8 – but it is capable of smashing the 100km/h barrier in less than three seconds.

McLaren 720S
Engine:
4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Power: 530kW at 7500rpm
Torque: 770Nm at 5500rpm
0-100km/h claim: 2.9 seconds
Price: $515,080

4. Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

Seizing the generational shift to reduced capacity and turbocharging, Aston Martin has modernised its 12-cylinder product offering.

For years the Cosworth-designed, naturally-aspirated V12 found in previous Astons was lauded for its character and its acoustics, however, it lacked the deep ferocity to really put the aristocratic British brand on the hypercar map (One-77 excepted).

The new 5204cc, twin-turbocharged V12 debuted in 2016’s Aston Martin DB11, its vitals (447kW and 700Nm) favourably comparing to the previous DB9 GT’s 402kW and 620Nm.

In the European summer of 2018 we were introduced to the latest variation on the theme, the DBS Superleggera.

aston martin dbs superleggera melbourne 7 pvfz

Both DBS and Superleggera are familiar nameplates to Aston fans, but it’s the first time they’ve appeared alongside each other.

Originally, superleggera referred to Touring’s coachbuilding process (back in the DB4 era), however these days it symbolises ‘lightweighting’ – the DBS Superleggera is 72kg lighter than the DB11 V12.

Power has ramped to 533kW at what sounds a pedestrian 6500rpm, but it’s the torque that really thumps; a full 900Nm from only 1800rpm.

Contrast that with the DB9 GT’s 5500rpm peak torque requirement, and the full force of the new design really hits home.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 533kW at 6500rpm
Torque: 900Nm at 1800rpm
0-100km/h claim: 3.5 seconds
Price: $517,000

3. Lamborghini Aventador S

Originally conceived by Giotto Bizzarrini (an ex-Ferrari engineer largely responsible for the 250 GTO), the first Lamborghini V12s were slotted under the snouts elegant coupes, such as 1964’s 350GT.

However, it was when Lamborghini installed Bizzarrini’s masterpiece into 1966’s mid-engine Miura that truly set the Raging Bull template.

This enduring initial design survived – in massively developed form – through to the end of Murcielago production in 2010.

The Aventador debuted a new design in 2011. Displacing 6498cc it retained double overhead camshafts per bank as well as four valves per cylinder. In the LP700-4 it generated some 515kW.

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The LP700-4 has evolved into the Aventador S, which debuted in 2017 to the tune of 544kW, an 8500rpm redline and a 690Nm torque peak.

Although not quite scaling the 552kW high of the limited-run Aventador SV, the Aventador S remains all-consumingly powerful.

It also forms the basis for an even more obnoxious Aventador ‘SVJ’, which currently holds the Nurburgring production car lap record and is coming to Australia with a near-million-dollar price tag. Its outputs? 566kW at 8500rpm and 720Nm at 6750rpm.

Lamborghinin Aventador S
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed sequential
Power: 544kW at 8400rpm
Torque: 690Nm at 5500rpm
0-100km/h claim: 2.9 seconds
Price: $788,914

2. Tesla Model S P100D

tesla model s p100d b

A happy by-product of Tesla’s emissions-free EV status is its phenomenal – and instantly available – performance capability.

That preposterous torque peak, nearly a Newton kilometres’ worth, immediately hits home. And with an engine at each axle, the Tesla Model S in top P100D specification simply steams out of the box, smashing 100km/h in only 2.7 seconds… and with total traction to boot.

Beyond torque, the P100D follows with a 568kW peak power wave that not only makes it the most powerful sedan on offer in Australia, but number two in the overall market right now.

Caveats?

Well, the fact the Tesla achieves this with a mere whisper removes the sensory overload a thumping V12 can provide, while the single-speed transmission robs another layer of driver involvement.

The battery weight also means the Tesla option isn’t as complete a performance machine as others on this list.

But if it’s pure power v price that means most to you, the $232,402 Tesla is a no-brainer… and you’re saving the world in the meantime.

Tesla Model S P100D
Engine: Twin electric motors
Gearbox: Single-speed automatic
Power: 568kW
Torque: 967Nm
0-100km/h claim: 2.7 seconds
Price: $257,433

1. Ferrari 812 Superfast

Is it just us, or is the coolest thing about the most powerful car on sale in Australia today that it’s a naturally-aspirated V12?

That’s right, no turbochargers and no nods to bench-tested efficiency requirements… just big capacity, instant throttle response and primordial acoustics.

Even more impressive is this unharnessed stallion sends all that grunt solely to the rear axle.

Befitting these traditional attributes is the name. The Superfast moniker had only once before graced a Ferrari, with 1964’s 500 Superfast designed for clienti esclusivi.

It packed a 5.0-litre, 300kW V12 within an achingly elegant, yet somehow muscular, Pininfarina design. Only 36 were built.

ferrari 812 superfast 7126 ev9h

Today’s 812 Superfast offers a modernised interpretation, with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, four-wheel steering for added agility and electric power steering. But it’s that front-mounted powerhouse that garners the headlines.

Displacing 6496cc, the V12 breathes through variable-geometry inlets, revs to an 8900rpm redline and hits a 588kW power peak at 8500rpm.

Torque is also mighty for a naturally-aspirated animal. Peak torque is at a (ahem) peaky 7000rpm, but the 812 generates 80 per cent of that from 3500rpm.

And at $610,000, the ultra-wealthy could buy five 812s for the price of one 500…

Ferrari 812 Superfast
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Power: 588kW at 8500rpm
Torque: 718Nm at 7000rpm
0-100km/h claim: 2.9 seconds
Price: $610,000

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Written byCharles May
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