| If you love sheer power, and you want a car | | | | seconds. |
| that produces 1,000 bhp, you now have three to | | | | Twin turbo V-10 |
| choose from - and that is without going to the | | | | How did they get this huge amount of power? |
| tuners like Ruf ofr Callaway, who will get this | | | | Well, like the other Bristol Fighters, the T has a |
| much power from engines that are currently in | | | | tuned Chrysler V-10 engine of 8 liters. For the |
| the 500- 700 bhp range. The tjree in the 1000 | | | | Fighter T they have added a pair of water-cooled |
| bhp club are the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the Bristol | | | | turbochargers to almost double power so they |
| Fighter T, and the Koenigsegg CCXR. | | | | could exceed that magic 1,000 bhp figure, getting |
| Theoretically, these are all good for 250 mph in | | | | 1,012 bhp at 5,600 rpm, with 1,036 lb ft (1,400 |
| theory, but not in practice. | | | | Nm) of torque at 4,500 rpm. That is quite a high |
| First on the scene was the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, | | | | speed for maximum torque, but the engine still |
| the world's fastest and most powerful exotic car, | | | | produces a massive 800 lb ft (1,080 Nm) of |
| with a top speed of 248 mph. | | | | torque from 3,000 rpm, upward. |
| Engineering masterpiece | | | | The Bristol Fighter S has a top speed of over |
| The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is quite an engineering | | | | 200 mph, partly owing to good aerodynamics, but |
| masterpiece, with a W-16 8.0 liter cylinder engine | | | | The Fighter T is an absolute stormer with a |
| mid-mounted driving through a seven-speed | | | | power-to-weight ratio of about 600 bhp per ton |
| semi-automatic gearbox to all four wheels - | | | | and a top speed of well, you name it! |
| four-wheel drive is definitely a good idea with this | | | | Koenigsegg CCXR runs on ethanol |
| amount of power. Not only is it immensely fast, | | | | Now, along comes Koenigsegg with the |
| but with four-wheel drives it is very stable. It has | | | | Koenigsegg CCXR, based on the CCX supercar, |
| ceramic brake discs and an air brake to help you | | | | but now this version is able to run on ethanol |
| slow down from over 125 mph. | | | | biofuel - E85. Because ethanol has an octane |
| A very surprising addition to the 1,000 bhp plus | | | | rating of over 100 RON - like racing fuel in the |
| club is the Bristol Fighter T, which has an engine | | | | 30s - it gives more power than gasoline, as Saab |
| developing 1,012 bhp, just 11 more than the | | | | has demonstrated. |
| Bugatti! This is a front-engine, rear-drive car | | | | In the Koenigsegg CCXR, power is up from 806 |
| designed for high-speed touring. | | | | bhp - more than enough for almost everyone - to |
| To be precise, the V-10 engine in the Fighter T | | | | 1,018 bhp! Peak torque is an incredible 780 lb ft |
| whacks out 1,012 bhp at 5,600 rpm. Bristol says | | | | (1,060 Nm) at 6,100 rpm. That's 25% more |
| that the top speed of the car is around 270 mph, | | | | power. |
| but it has a limiter at 225 mph, which is just | | | | With ethanol, power increases of 15-25% can be |
| 4,.500 rpm in top! Not many will be made, making | | | | obtained for any engine so long as it is optimised |
| this a really exotic car. | | | | with high compression ratio and other changes. In |
| Acceleration is not as good as you might expect - | | | | other words, don't just pull up at a gas station, |
| or maybe it is just modesty at Bristol Cars - at | | | | put ethanol in your tank and get 20% more |
| 'under 3.5 seconds' whereas the Bugatti Veyron is | | | | power. It doesn't work unless the engine is |
| well under 3 seconds. The difference is largely | | | | designed to run on it. |
| academic - like the top speeds - but a | | | | But that is not so difficult to do, and with George |
| mid-engined four-wheel drive car will accelerate | | | | Bush trying to get more ethanol used in the USA, |
| more quickly than a front-engined rear-drive car. | | | | expect more to follow this route. After all, almost |
| The Bristol Fighter just doesn't have enough | | | | everyone loves power, even if they drive a car |
| weight on the rear wheels to get under 3 | | | | that is not very fast. |