In terms of high performance, there are two different paths to high horsepower ratings. One is known as “forced induction,” which uses a turbocharger or a supercharger to compress the engine’s fuel-air mixture. This process enables the engine to burn more fuel and more air during the combustion cycle, which produces more power.
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The other path to power does not used forced induction, instead relying on the engine’s normal “breathing” abilities to develop maximum output. This typically involves engine design strategies that will allow the maximum amount of fuel and air to be processed at ambient atmospheric pressure, thereby raising the engine’s output. Engines of this type are known as naturally aspirated (NA) and the most powerful of these will be the focus of this article.
As these vehicles demonstrate, powerful naturally aspirated engines use sophisticated design techniques, high-tech materials, larger displacement, or a combination thereof to achieve high horsepower ratings. As another way to understand the incredibly high output levels of these amazing NA engines, a “power density” number is also included for each one. This is calculated by dividing horsepower output by engine displacement in liters, giving you the number of horsepower per liter of displacement. This is a way to objectively compare engines of different displacements and outputs. The higher the power density number, the more intrinsically powerful the engine is, regardless of its horsepower output. Here are seven powerful non-turbo cars with naturally aspirated engines, starting with the most powerful by horsepower rating and working our way down.
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