Speed and acceleration are a car enthusiast’s best friends, and to achieve both, we need not only horsepower but also torque.
While horsepower numbers usually take center stage when talking about performance superlatives, torque, essentially a measure of pulling power, makes all the difference in the real world. Torque is the force that gets you off the starting line and powers the car out of corners.
Granted, one is nothing without the other, but in this article, we’ll dive into 11 vehicles that produce tons of torque and explore what makes them so immensely special!
Koenigsegg Gemera
When it comes to top-shelf torque numbers, no other car comes close to the Koenigsegg Gemera. This Swedish-bred hypercar pushes out an absolutely astonishing 2,581 lb-ft of torque, which places it at the very top of our list.
With such impressive performance credentials, the Gemera can rocket from 0-60mph in just 1.9 seconds. Even more jaw-dropping is the price tag of approximately $1.7 million (before taxes )— or the surprising fact that it can be specified with a 3-cylinder engine!
Rimac Nevera R
Due to the characteristics of electric motors, where all the torque of the motor is available from 0 rpm, electric supercars can deliver impressive performance and essentially allow you to access 100% of the motor’s potential the instant you touch the accelerator pedal. With regard to numbers, the $2.5 million Rimac Nevera R pushes out to a competitive second place with 1,955 lbft.
That said, what truly sets the Nevera R apart is its astonishing acceleration figure from 0-60mph in under 1.9 seconds. As an impressive, if not very useful, party trick, the Nevera R can also hit speeds up to 171mph in reverse, more than some supercars can do.
SSC Tuatara
The all-American SSC Tuatara is celebrated as one of the fastest and most aerodynamically advanced cars ever created. In 2020, SSC claimed to have pushed a Tuatara to a top speed of 295mph – however, take any such claims with a pinch of salt after they walked back on those claims in 2021.
Torque-wise, the SSC can deliver 1,280 lbft, which also makes it a historical figure. Starting at around $1.6 million, the SSC is limited to just 100 examples worldwide.
Koenigsegg Regera
The Swedes make another appearance on this list with the legendary Koenigsegg Regera, a car that remarkably can push 944 lbft of torque through a single-speed gearbox, arguably one of the most impressive feats of engineering within the car industry.
Starting at $1.9 million, the Regera also makes big numbers when it comes to top speed, as it can reach 249 mph in under 20 seconds!
Lucid Air Sapphire
The Lucid Air Sapphire is an EV produced by a startup EV brand in the United States, and it’s coming to set records. With a 118kW battery pack, the Lucid Air Sapphire can produce a staggering 1,430 lbft, which is downright insane considering this is a four-door family car with cup holders and a comfortable seating arrangement for five.
The Lucid excels at being an excellent all-rounder because it is packed with the latest technology, great comfort, and high-end luxury materials—all of that for the tidy sum of $250,000, which is, in fairness, much less than some comparable supercars on this list.
Aspark Owl
Of all these, the name Aspark is likely the least widely known since this Japanese company only launched its preproduction prototype super EV in 2017 and launched the Owl in November 2019 at the Dubai International Motor Show. This €2.5 million electric hypercar offers an adequate 1,416 lbft of torque under your right foot.
Compared to the Nevera R, the Aspark Owl represents a more “stripped-out” approach to making a fast car, which is why it likely managed to reach a top speed of 272 mph in mid-2024. This makes it the EV with the current highest top speed.
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
Most of the cars on this list are purpose-built to achieve the highest levels of speed and performance while sacrificing a lot in the process. The Bugatti is different as it combines luxury, speed, performance, comfort, and masterful mechanical engineering with enormous attention to detail.
With a price tag starting at around $4 million and a top speed of more than 300mph, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ produces 1,180 lbft of torque from its 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine.
Hennesey Venom F5
The Hennesey Venom F5 is another truly insane US-made hypercar. The Hennesey company has been making extremely fast cars since the early 1990s, and it used to specialize in tuning existing muscle cars to turn them into quarter-mile beasts.
However, in September 2022, Hennessey came out with the $3 million Venom F5, a V8-powered rocketship with 1,193 lbft as their first ever from the ground-up car model. Not bad for a first try.
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
In the world of more “attainable” vehicles and coming in at a shade under $100,000, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 stands as the king of drag strip torque. This Dodge modern icon is rated at 945 lbft of torque, earning it the title of the most powerful stock muscle car in terms of pure torque.
What’s even more impressive is its acceleration figure, which enables it to sprint from 0-60mph in an insane 1.6 seconds, though with drag radials and on a prepped strip. In many people’s eyes, the SRT Demon 170 is the epitome of US muscle and the top-end modern Challenger.
Pagani Utopia
For those who follow the hypercar industry, Pagani surely is a household name. A company founded by the visionary Horatio Pagani hopes to combine the very best of avantgarde with traditional luxury of exceptional craftsmanship.
Powered by an AMG V12 turbocharged engine matched with an old-school tactile 7-speed automated manual gearbox, the Utopia pushes out 811 lbft of torque. All in all, the Utopia represents the latest and greatest Pagani, one that simply had to make our list.
Koenigsegg Jesko
The Koenigsegg Jesko is named after the company founder and CEO, Christian von Koenigsegg’s father. The use of not one, but two, family names for this car augers just how serious this Koenigsegg truly is. The price starts at $3 million, and Koenigsegg aims to soon solidify the Jesko Absolut’s place as the undisputed fastest car in history.
To power, such a remarkable feat of engineering is a twin-turbo V8 engine with 738 lbft, which ramps up to 1,106 lbft of torque with E85 biofuel, and an even more impressive dry weight of just 2,910 lb.
Enough Torque to Kickstart a Dead Planet
It’s mind-blowing that these torque figures are usually associated with massive turbines and heavy industrial equipment rather than production vehicles. However, these cars are just poster cars, which means that only a handful of humans will ever be able to truly enjoy them.
They are the true record-breakers, the very top end of the industry, the ones the industry will look back to as the pioneering achievements of the performance automobile.
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