One hundred horsepower per liter is an incredible feat of engine tuning. For example, Dodge’s 6.4-liter Hemi debuted with just 470 horsepower in its Scat Pack cars and heavy-duty trucks. If it matched the efficiency of the engines in this list, it would have made Hellcat-levels of power. Here are the few, the proud, the naturally aspirated V8s that achieved 100 hp/L.
100 hp/L – Ford Mustang Dark Horse (2024-Present)
For its seventh-generation Mustang, Ford engineered a special trim to max out street-legal performance. Behind its blacked-out grille, the Mustang Dark Horse packs a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 producing 500 hp and 418 lb-ft of torque. While many of the other vehicles on this list have been discontinued for turbocharged or supercharged V8s, the Mustang Dark Horse is still available. Want to know more? Check out the Ford Mustang configurator.
100.3 hp/L – Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series (2013-14)
Mercedes-Benz offered its 6.2-liter M156 engine in the “63 AMG” trim of many models, from the C-Class to the SL-Class. The most powerful version, the M159, had a dry sump oil system, reworked valve train, and new camshafts to deliver an impressive 622 horsepower. This tune was exclusive to the SLS AMG Black Series from 2013 to 2014. Shortly afterward, Mercedes transitioned to smaller-displacement, turbocharged V8s for its AMG lineup.
It’s 2015. The industry is months from going to small-displacement, turbocharged V8s. But today, these legends still all have naturally-aspirated V8s making a glorious 100+ horsepower/liter.
So which one are you taking home? pic.twitter.com/ex1d5Uv4vt
— Henry Cesari (@HenryCesari) November 10, 2024
101 hp/L – Ford Mustang GT350 (2015-2020)
Before the Dark Horse came the Mustang GT350. Ford hand-built a special Coyote engine with an unprecedented flat-plane crankshaft, making it rev similarly to engines in Ferraris and other exotics. The result was a 5.2-liter V8 delivering 526 horsepower, offering a unique and thrilling experience in the muscle car world.
103 hp/L – BMW M3 (2007-2013)
For a brief, glorious moment BMW made a V8 M3. It dropped the S65 4.0-liter V8 in the 2007 E90 generation. This engine delivered 414 horsepower, making the M3 one of the most thrilling compact sedans of its era. BMW later offered an M3 GTS with a 4.4-liter version of this engine, producing 444 hp. However, reliability issues saw BMW return to inline-sixes for future M3 models.
121.8 hp/L – Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (2024-Present)
After Ford’s Voodoo V8, GM responded with a 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V8 in the 2024 Corvette Z06, pushing out 670 horsepower. The C8 Z06’s high-revving V8, paired with a mid-engine layout, makes “America’s Sports Car” a true supercar. Want to build your perfect Z06? Check out the Corvette configurator.
130.42 hp/L – Porsche 918 Spyder (2013-2015)
Motorheads may wonder, wasn’t the 918 Spyder a hybrid? Yes, but its naturally aspirated 4.593-liter V8 alone made 599 horsepower, equaling an astounding 130.42 hp/L. Porsche’s motorsport-derived engineering stands as a testament to the efficiency and power achievable with naturally aspirated V8s.
132.75 hp/L – Ferrari 458 (2013-2014)
Ferrari didn’t swap to turbocharged V8s until 2015. It introduced its final naturally-aspirated V8 engine family (F136) in 2001. At first it was just a 4.2-liter making 385 horsepower. But Ferrari continued to improve the engine. By the 2004 F430 it was a 4.3-liter engine making 483 horsepower, but even that wasn’t enough for Ferrari. The V8 in the 2013-2015 458 Speciale was a 4.5-liter monster that made 597 horsepower. To be precise, it had 4.497 liters of displacement and made 132.75 hp/L and holds the record.
