When 650 hp was still enough to be the most powerful car
01/19/2026
Not even 25 years ago, the Ferrari Enzo set the performance record for automobiles with around 650 hp. Today, sporty saloons and SUVs already boast such engine power, if not significantly more. At that time, however, hardly any other production car came close to the Ferrari Enzo.
At the other end of the scale was the Smart CDi with 41 hp in 2002; today it is probably not so easy to find a new car with less than 50 hp.
And yes, it only took a short time for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 to set a new record with over 1000 hp. But even that didn't last forever. Today, even 2000 hp and more are no longer enough to break records.
According to ams, the Ferrari Enzo was also the most expensive car in 2002, but even this can only elicit a shrug nowadays, as super sports cars have long since broken the million barrier.
But because a Ferrari Enzo was sold at Mecum just the day before yesterday for USD 17.875 million, there is obviously still plenty of room for improvement, especially with younger cars. And perhaps short-term superlatives pay off particularly well in the long term?
