BMW E30 M3 - 4 cylinders - 365 hp

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High rpms are good for hp numbers given that everything else supports it. Without electronic cam phasing though, adj runners, fuel injection, any high-revving car will be a pig below a realistic 3500 as it wasn't designed to operate in that low-range.

I know of an SN95 with a 306 that runs 9's on nuts, but I won't dare say he shifts below 7700 Rpms and has invested close to 15000 with parts and numberous dyno runs, part swaps and so-forth. 15G just in the mill.
 
I found an E30 M3 enthusiast website (e30m3performance.com that I just tried to access but is down) that sites the 365 hp. Wikipedia and a few other sites I came across cited the race car as capable of 350hp. I mean, they could be wrong or maybe that's optimal or maximum amount of power these cars ever made. A friend of mine who went to UTI had a teacher who had one of them that made 350hp N/A but his must have been a publicly sold car that he tuned up. Even if those numbers are inflated, BMW has been known to squeeze ridiculous amounts of power out of small engines.
 
High rpms are good for hp numbers given that everything else supports it. Without electronic cam phasing though, adj runners, fuel injection, any high-revving car will be a pig below a realistic 3500 as it wasn't designed to operate in that low-range.

I know of an SN95 with a 306 that runs 9's on nuts, but I won't dare say he shifts below 7700 Rpms and has invested close to 15000 with parts and numberous dyno runs, part swaps and so-forth. 15G just in the mill.

Because horsepower is a function of torque and rotational speed, I'm guessing these cars don't have a lot of torque but make up for it by screaming high RPM, that's why I said that. I'm assuming they have the components to support running at that RPM, including gearing to make it feasible on the street.

Hell, Indy cars make twice that much horsepower with just a liter more (3.5L for those not savvy) , but they rev limit at 10300 RPM. Any size engine can make crazy HP numbers providing you can flow enough air and fuel at the speed you need to spin the crank.
 
Because horsepower is a function of torque and rotational speed, I'm guessing these cars don't have a lot of torque but make up for it by screaming high RPM, that's why I said that. I'm assuming they have the components to support running at that RPM, including gearing to make it feasible on the street.

Hell, Indy cars make twice that much horsepower with just a liter more (3.5L for those not savvy) , but they rev limit at 10300 RPM. Any size engine can make crazy HP numbers providing you can flow enough air and fuel at the speed you need to spin the crank.

Exactly, RPM's is how its done.

HP = (Torque X RPM)/5250

5250 is only a constant to make the units common.

So, lets assume the Beamer makes the 365 hp at 8000 rpms. Thats 240 ft-lbs of TQ at 8000 rpms. Sounds about right.

Another good example is F1. 2.6L NA V8 with ~750 HP at 18,000 rpms. That's right naturally aspirated, 2.6 Liters, and 18,000 rpms. That acutally only 218 ft-lbs, but at 18,000 rpm. Pretty cool stuff.
 
Technology has come along way since our beloved 2V's...


I mean really, bone stock, my Spec V cyl head flowed more than a set of Edelbrock Peformer heads I have on my blow Stang.

I won't even get into how bad the E7's were with the ugly thermactor hump.