A Year of New Models: 10 Cars, 78 Cylinders, 5,614 HP of Glory
Story By
Evan Griffey
All photos courtesy of their respective manufacturers.
In terms of new car introductions, 2014 was stellar for power fiends. In the midst of an era where 40 mpg is the brass ring, it was quite refreshing to see so many mega-horse performance machines hit the road running in 2014. The following list of performance rides are my top picks for The Year Of Muscle and all were available for purchase in 2014. In totality these 10 cars generate an impressive 5,614 horsepower from 78 cylinders… that’s a whopping 72 ponies per hole…Priuses will be kicked to the curb. I was surprised how many big displacement American cars made the grade and took notice that many of the Red, White, & Blue offerings were familiar nameplates from the heyday of American muscle.
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, $59,995
You gotta love a car that comes with two separate keys, each with its own power rating. The wimpy, conservative, black fob dishes out 450 ponies. If that’s the valet key, I’ll park that car all day… Ferris Bueller style. Bust out the big dog key and you’ll bring 707 horses to the party. The Hellcat is all-audacious, all the time. The supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi is backed by an eight speed automatic and joined by 15.4-inch rotors and six-piston calipers from Brembo, 20-inch alloys wrapped with Pirelli P-Zero rubber, a an exhaust note that will wake the dead. Zero to 60 flashes by in 3.5 seconds and the Hellcat rampages its way to a 10.8 second quarter mile… park it?… I’d never come back.
Chevy Corvette Z06, $78,995
The pinnacle of performance for the Bow-Tie camp for more than 60 years, the Corvette has seen its stock rise and fall through the decades. The new C7 definitely pushes the marque’s upward trend to new heights. The new Z06 is the hot commodity; a 650-horse blown 6.2-liter V8 backed by a seven-speed manual transmission(yes manual), with automatic rev-matching. Where the late ‘80s ‘Vettes had freakishly cheesy ‘digital dashes’ the digital prowess of the new car can be seen in its selectable traction control, performance data recorder that uses GPS and the car’s sensors to plot performance over a race track or the daily commute… even its rear diff is electronic. The numbers are impressive; 1.2g on the skidpad, 0-60 in 3.0 seconds, and the quarter in an astounding 10.95 at 127 mph.
Jaguar F-Type S, $65,925
This cheeky Brit has the exhaust tone to blend in with America’s mightiest muscle. The sleek cat, available as a coupe or convertible, gets two power outputs. The drop-top’s supercharged V8 deals 495 horsepower while the fully enclosed driver has 550 ponies under his right foot. An opulent interior with the proper ratio of leather and veneer is joined by a sport-tuned suspension. Score one for the Union Jack.
Chevy Camaro Z/28, $75,000
The Z/28 is pure throwback. Just like back in the day, GM jettisons gear in the name of performance. The Z/28 deletes air conditioning, the Camaro’s ditzy heads-up display, HID headlights, heck even the audio system is cutback to a single-speaker affair. On the plus side the ‘delete-ists’ cast away the Camaro’s mag-ride suspension for high-tech, pure race Multimatic dampers that are more F1 than OEM. The Z/28 flexes a 7.0-liter 505 horsepower V8 and before you stampede to Google that’s 75 ponies arrears of the ZL1, and yes, the 28’s price tag is a whopping $17,000 more than the ZL. What gives? It’s all about sharpness of focus. In true throwback fashion the Z/28 is the proverbial street legal road racer. The suspension, hyper-quick steering, 15.5-inch carbon-ceramic rotors, and calipers that could stop a locomotive are all built for the track, not the commute. There are more capable daily drivers in the Camaro line up, not to mention this list… but the Z/28 is a scalpel among butter knives.
BMW 2 Series, $33,025 or $44,025
The 2 Series replaces the 1 Series as the Bavarian automaker’s smallest, entry-level coupe. Savvy buyers can choose from an all-new 2.0-liter turbo four version at 240 horsepower or the tasty M235i with BMW’s stout and well-sorted 3.0-liter turbo inline 6 rated at 320 horsepower. There is an M2 circulating the rumor mill but BMW may be out of engine options… may we suggest shoehorning a V8 under the bonnet?
Porsche 918 Spyder, $845,000
Tree huggers rejoice, we’re putting a hybrid on the list… an Autobahn blasting mid-engine missile with 887 horsepower on tap. You get 608 horsepower from the 4.6-liter V8 and the remainder from two electric motors, one on each axle. All this German goodness is wrapped in a high-tech carbon fiber monocoque body. The car is EPA rated at 22 mpg combined but if you're staring at the fuel gauge you’re missing the point of this car entirely… and you have my sympathy.
Dodge Viper SRT, $84,995
In the 1990s the Viper was one of the first cars to make me do a double take and wonder how did the R&D guys get this thing by the bean counters? Better yet how did they do it again circa 2014? We gotta give the Dodge Brothers props. The Viper swings a 645-horse V10 hammer and I pity the fool that gets pounded by this American exotic. The car looks the part and posts the numbers; low 3s 0-60, mid 11s in the quarter mile, and 204 mph on the top end.
Subaru WRX/STI, $26,295/$34,495
The freshly redesigned 2015 WRX can be had in base or the full-favored STI rendition. While the point of origin of these two are the same, the STI carries over much more of Subaru’s World Rally DNA. The base WRX sports a 2.0-liter turbo Boxer 4 rated at 268 horsepower and can be fitted with a six-speed manual or CVT. The up-level STI features a larger 2.5-liter turbo Boxer 4 with a stout 305 horsepower on tap and only a six-speed manual. The all-wheel drive system on the STI is more sophisticated but both cars offer an engaging drive at a bargain price.
Ford Mustang GT, $32,100
Another fresh face in 2014, the 2015 Mustang is an eye-catcher that’s also a butt kicker. The fastback looks sharp and we’re big fans of the Coyote V8. It’s well designed, reliable, and plenty powerful. The 5.0-liter churns out 435 horsepower and can be easily modded to push that past 500. The 2015 ‘Stang is the first iteration to get an independent rear suspension. I remember slaloming around three Mustangs in my Evo one winter up here in the Northwest. The old solid axle set-up was crude in its weight transfer, hence the spinouts. The IRS will do wonders to the ponycar’s ride and handling prowess. The Blue Oval boys have a serious sleeper in the stable; the EcoBoost. At $25,170, the 2.3-liter turbo 4 generates an impressive 310 horsepower and turbo engines have the largest tuning windows on the road. Many see this bargain pony as a Scion FRS fighter. Could 2015 be The Year Of The Pony?
Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4, $237,250
Seduction is what Lamborghini deals in… seduction and status. While this car requires winning the lotto for most of us to afford, there is no denying its allure. The Raging Bull’s 5.2-liter V10 pumps out a prodigious 610 horsepower and vectors the ponies through an all-wheel-drive powertrain. Zero-to-60 flashes by in less than three seconds. Keep your foot planted and the Huracan will crack 200 mph… where’s my Powerball tickets?
