The notion of owning a road car with more horsepower than an F1 racer isn’t new, but unlike the highly-strung single-seaters that often have the world’s best drivers at the helm, a 1000bhp road car is still quite a feat when you think about it.
Not only does it need to be drivable for mere mortals, but it also will have to operate without a team of technicians standing behind it. So, while ultimate power continues to be democratised in road cars, there’s still a lot to be impressed by with cars that forge past the 1000bhp mark – especially when internal combustion engines make up a large portion of it.
These are the latest entries into the 1000bhp club.
Ferrari F80 – Hybrid
First on our list is the recently revealed Ferrari F80, the next chapter in the brand’s ‘supercar’ series that generally appears every decade or so. While expensive multi-million pound Ferraris aren’t quite as rare as they used to be, the new F80 isn’t just a short-lived design flagship but also a preview of the technology that its more accessible series production cars will employ over the coming decade.
This means the iconic V12 engine is nowhere to be seen. Instead, there’s a highly strung V6 engine under the rear tonneau, paired with three electric motors—one mounted under the engine and another two on the front axle. Together, the petrol engine and e-motors generate 1183bhp.
These aren’t the only electric motors, mind. The two turbochargers bolted to the engine also have their own e-motors built in to essentially eliminate turbo lag. But we’re not done yet. There are four more – one mounted on each suspension tower – powering an adaption of the Purosangue’s active suspension system.
Rather than requiring excessive weight management, the active suspension here is designed to support the astounding amount of downforce F80 can create. Add to this the all-new carbon tub, 3D-printed suspension components, clever staggered driving position and Ferrari’s first carbon fibre five-spoke wheels, and this is a tour-de-force of high-performance tech that might just more than make up for the slightly disappointing cylinder count.
ferrari.com
McLaren W1 – Hybrid
As if by design, McLaren’s new-era hypercar was revealed barely a week before the Ferrari, creating another fascinating head-to-head comparison of how each company is looking ahead at the future of supercar design. But where the Ferrari uses a V6 with some clever electrically driven turbochargers, the McLaren W1 features a more substantial V8.
McLaren says the engine is all-new, and while it does share a similar swept capacity with the units found in its other models, its peak combined output of 1258bhp isn’t just more than all other McLarens, but also a small chunk more than the Ferrari F80.
Also, like the Ferrari, the power split between petrol and electric motor is firmly skewed to the petrol, with the V8 producing a wild 915bhp on its own, helped out by a single e-motor making up the rest. And it’s all sent to just two wheels, as opposed to the Ferrari’s four.
Ultra-high downforce, 3D-printed suspension components and next-gen packaging are also there. Bring on the inevitable drag race.
mclaren.com
Aston Martin Valkyrie – Hybrid
Compared to the technology-packed Ferrari and McLaren, Aston Martin’s long-winded Valkyrie is nothing like as complex. Yes, it has a small hybrid unit, but the drive is almost exclusively derived from the petrol engine, which, unlike the others, is very much the biggest personality in the room.
That’s because the Valkyrie uses a naturally aspirated V12 developed and built for Aston by Cosworth, which combines with a small e-motor to generate 1160bhp. As well as being louder and having a quite frankly crazy 11,100rpm redline, the whole package is much more of a Le Mans racer with number plates than a road-going supercar.
It’s no coincidence, seeing as the project was founded on the assumption of running in the WEC Endurance Hypercar class, with this being the road-going homologation car that would allow Aston to race in the first place.
This original plan was put on hold after various issues, but it’s actually back on track with the AMR Pro variant. It will join the field in 2026, going up against Ferrari’s very successful 499P, which has already proven a formidable racer.
astonmartin.com
Bugatti Tourbillon – Hybrid
If the Valkyrie is a road-going racer, the Bugatti Tourbillon is pure art. As is always the case with Bugatti’s modern hypercars, the powertrain is important, yes, but it’s only part of an intelligently designed and built package that puts ultimate luxury, speed and craftsmanship just as high on the list of deliverables.
What the Bugatti and Aston do share is a technical partner for the engine. Cosworth has once again been brought in to develop not a V12, but an insane V16 engine backed up by no less than three further electric motors. The V16 itself is the first time that a 16-cylinder engine has been sold in a production car in nearly 80 years, and in this case produces a combined 1774bhp.
There’s so much to talk about with the new Tourbillon it’s impossible to digest in a small list like this. But once again, the 3D-printed suspension components use clever computer-based biomimicry to create delicate, lightweight, yet strong suspension components that could, and really should, be on show in your living room.This is without mentioning the clock dials fixed to the steering wheel hub, the exquisite carbon body or the insane aero.
The Tourbillon is set to remind even the most cynical car fan that truly outstanding design and engineering still exist. It just happens to cost upwards of £5m.
bugatti.com
Rimac Nevera R – EV
If the Bugatti Tourbillon is a work of art, the Rimac Nevera R is a supercomputer designed not to awe when standing still, but when in motion. It’s ironic then that the two now come from the same place. With the integration of Rimac into the VW family via a complicated trade of Bugatti, Rimac stands as an exercise in cutting-edge electric mobility rather than a hypercar manufacturer that needs to make money.
Lucky that, considering their rate of sale, the Nevera was never meant to be a huge income earner, but rather the car that pushed the boundaries of electric cars. In fact, its 2107bhp makes it the most powerful car on this list, and by some margin. This also means it’s the fastest to 62mph at just 1.81 seconds.
Unlike the softer base car, the R’s also been designed to be more exhilarating around the bends with a far more aggressive chassis setup, a load more aero and a more evolved design and interior, too.
It might lack the glamour of the Bugatti, the technicality of the W1 and F80 or the outright savagery of the Aston Martin, but Rimac continues to forge a path in its own direction. And with a big cuddly blanket of VW around it, it’s likely to continue on that path for a few more generations.
rimac-automobili.com
AMG Project One – Hybrid
It’s all well and good to have more power than a contemporary Formula 1 car, but there’s only one car on this list that actually uses an F1 engine under the clamshell, and it’s AMG’s controversial Project 1. Developed at the same time as Aston’s Valkyrie, it was set with the very challenging task of literally running a 1.6-litre V6 engine from the AMG Petronas F1 car.
Its total system power of 1063bhp is derived from both the V6 and a combination of four electric motors driven from an F1-derived 800V battery pack. Two of those motors are mounted on the front axle, like the F80 and Tourbillon, with one more sitting on the end of the engine itself and the last mounted within the turbo.
Unfortunately, making an engine designed to last for a few hundred miles before being pulled apart and put back together was tricky for AMG. Making it suitable for a road car, no matter how highly strung, led to delays and eventually slipping out to owners without much fanfare.
mercedes-amg.com
Bonus: Lucid Air Sapphire – EV
Although the 1000bhp club is a little less exclusive than it used to be, every model we’ve showcased so far still costs seven figures. Enter the Lucid Air Sapphire.
While its $250,000 price tag is still a colossal amount of money, we’d bet that it would likely knock back a fair few of the hypercars on this list in a drag race.
Not that the relatively low price point comes with too many compromises, as the 1234bhp triple-motor monster will still demolish the 0-60 sprint in under 2 seconds and go on to do the quarter mile in around 9. And this is all while having four passengers on board, with luggage. And a small dog, if you really wanted to.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Sapphire is a fabulous car to drive around corners. It has excellent road grip and lots of clever tech that lifts it over and above the ‘cram it with power and hope for the best’ mentality of Tesla and some of the more recent Chinese EV makers.
lucidmotors.com
