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Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

Bugatti working on Super Veyron with 1.8-second 0-60 mph time?

At some point, someone is going to have to hand the minds at Bugatti a physics book and tell them to settle down. Automobile reports the monarch of the Volkswagen stable is out to eclipse its own ludicrous performance threshold by building a new Super Veyron capable of snapping to 60 mph in 1.8 seconds. How? The company plans to shove even more carbon fiber at the ultracar while also turning up the horsepower. Rumor has it the machine will boast either an 8.0- or 9.6-liter W16 engine good for 1,600 horsepower, which should be enough to nudge the vehicle's top end from 259 mph all the way to 288 mph.
All told, the Über Veyron will hold a 550-pound advantage over its predecessor for a power to weight ratio of 2.2 lb/hp. How much will one of these things cost you? Expect to pony up $2.5 million for the privilege of ownership. That is, if it makes it to production.

$2.4 Million Supercar Vandalized In Seattle

There are no shortage of phallus jokes one can make about a car and its owners, but no amount of jesting makes spray painting an actual penis on a car okay. That's triply true when the car in question is the Bugatti Veyron. This poor Veyron was spotted on the streets of Seattle, and while our outrage was initially piqued, it later emerged via Instagram that the owner of this spray-painted Bugatti actually allowed this to happen. We aren't fully sure what possessed the owner of the multi-million hypercar to allow this sort of thing, but we're guessing he or she can afford it. Scroll down for a different angle of this poor Veyron's new paint job. Loading View on Instagram