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Re: Zero to 60 Mph in 3.4 Seconds
By Bruce Gain
From: Ken Hunt
Incidentally, the Honda S2000, a car that has been readily available in the U.S. for five years, gets 240hp out of a naturally aspirated (no turbo or supercharger) 2.0 liter engine. Honda sorta started this whole trend. Of course, any number of sport motorcycles can boast even more impressive HP per liter ratios.
The Lotus models you've mentioned achieve those performance numbers mostly by being extremely, even dangerously, light weight with a Spartan feature set and generally uncivilized creature comforts.
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Re: Zero to 60 Mph in 3.4 Seconds
By Bruce Gain
From: Chris Shaiman
Torque measures how much pressure is being applied to the ground through the tires which gives a much more accurate gauge of acceleration. Horsepower is more of a measurement for top speeds of cars. This is a common mistake many people make. Nice article, though. I love the Lotus Elise: Extremely light weight, high torque and great style make it an extremely enviable high performace car for a moderate price.
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Re: Zero to 60 Mph in 3.4 Seconds
By Bruce Gain
From: Jozer
Although I don't expect car coverage in magazines like Wired to be all that accurate, there are a couple of things in this article that are downright wrong. For one, the "turbocharger" and "supercharger" technologies are not new, like you say in your article. A turbocharger works by using exhaust gas to spin a turbine pump that crams more air and fuel into an engine. A supercharger uses either an electric motor, or the gasoline engine itself to power a pump that crams more air and fuel into the cylinders.
Both turbochargers and superchargers have been in use for decades. In fact, both turbochargers and superchargers started appearing on cars as early as the 1920s, and earlier on locomotives and airplanes.
Turbochargers do get very hot, but so do most components in the exhaust system. That has not stopped them from being used on quite a few cars besides the exotics you mention in your article, for instance, the Volkswagon Passat I drive has a turbocharged 1.8L 4 cylinder engine, and virtually every diesel powered car and truck sold for the past 10 years has come in turbocharged form.
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Re: Zero to 60 Mph in 3.4 Seconds
By Bruce Gain
From: Steve Malik
You forgot the Corvette! Especially the 2006 Z06 Corvette. It turns in stunning numbers with a sticker price of $65,000. Which is way more bang for your buck. Forget all those over priced foreign jobs from your article: Wrap your ass in fiberglass!!! Corvette: The American Sports Car!
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