The Horsepower Race

by EUGENE JADERQUIST

1

THE 200-plus horsepower engine of today’s automobile is a miraculous accomplishment. There can be no doubt of the inventiveness or competence of the engineers who made it. Nor can there be any question of the quality of these engines; they can, and frequently do, haul 10-ton loads over the highways; they have competed, and will again, in sports car and stock car races in America and Europe. But what they are doing under the hoods of passenger cars is a question that has never been satisfactorily answered. Obviously, there is little use for 200 horsepower in a trip to the store, in commuting, or in any of the multitude of prosaic daily tasks an American car is called upon to perform. Secondly, there is evident danger in entrusting any except the most cautious drivers with so much readily available power. Third, the brakes and suspension systems of American cars are not able to handle the speeds of which the engines are capable, a fact established by the testers during four years of continuous road tests. And fourth, even conceding for a moment that tremendous gains in passenger car performance are desirable, increasing the horsepower is not the way to do the job.

As far as safety is concerned, the horsepower race has only worsened an already bad situation. Apologists for the manufacturers have frequently argued that the increase in power means increased safety if the power is used properly. While it is true that added acceleration can conceivably pull a driver out of a difficult situation occasionally, the prudent driver would not put himself in such a dangerous position in the first place. Passing on a hill or a curve and finding another car looming suddenly in front of you, misjudging distance while passing on a long straightaway and discovering that the approaching car is closing the gap too rapidly, or going into a curve so fast you begin to drift before you can pull out are the three general cases where exceptional acceleration can bring you out safely. Each of them is a result of an original error in judgment. A more powerful engine, far from keeping you out of trouble, tends to get you into it. The man who depends on extra acceleration to snap him out of the tight ones will inevitably guess it too close someday.

Anyone who has felt the case with which one of the new cars will cruise at 80 m.p.h. knows the false sense of security generated by too much horsepower. There is no throb or vibration from the engine to serve as a reminder of the tremendous speed. The truth is that there should be no sense of security at 80 even on the big superhighways, because the American car is not built to be handled competently at that speed. Anything you do suddenly as a reaction to an emergency can be disastrous—turning the wheel sharply to avoid an obstacle, slamming on the brakes suddenly, veering off the highway onto a plowed field. Only a competition sports or racing chassis is designed to be maneuvered at that speed, and then preferably by a driver accustomed to living in a state of emergency.

The horsepower race began officially in 1951, when Chrysler with its 180-horsepower Fire Power engine topped the 160 horsepower of Cadillac and Packard. Cadillac came back in 1952 with 190, and others were right behind. Buick went to 170; Lincoln, Oldsmobile, and De Soto to 160. In 1953 Cadillac climbed to 210, Lincoln took second with 205, Buick moved into third with 188 for its Roadmaster, Chrysler and Packard tied at 180. Finally, in 1954, Chrysler went all the way up to 235, heading the following group: Cadillac, 230; Packard, 212; Lincoln, 205; Buick, 200.

What was happening in this top price class was echoed by events in the middle price brackets and is now being copied by the so-called “economy” cars in the Ford-Chevrolet-Plymouth group. Like it or not, the buyer of an American car can hardly avoid being caught up in the horsepower race.

The new engines that proved so adaptable to this form of competition are a solid improvement over their predecessors. With few exceptions (Packard and Hudson are the most worthy of mention) they are V-8s, a cylinder number and arrangement that was probably first installed in a passenger car in 1902 and which enjoyed a tremendous popularity in the United States between 1914 and 1920. In the twenties it was gradually replaced by the in-line eight. Y-8s have been revived for two reasons: an eight-cylinder engine is still considered the best compromise between smoothness and complexity obtainable in a large engine; the V-shape is shorter and more compact than the in-line engine, thus saving space and ensuring greater crankshaft and crankcase rigidity, both highly important features in modern engine design.

Another point common to the majority of the new engines is “oversquare" design, which is just a shorthand way of saying the diameter of the cylinder is greater than the length of the stroke. In the decade before 1949 there was not a single large passenger car engine in this country with a borestroke ratio of one or less. The change was made to cut down piston travel, thus reducing wear, and to permit the use of larger valves.

A third feature the engineers have decided upon is overhead-valve design. Some American cars have used overhead valves for many years — Chevrolet and Buick come to mind first but before 1949 the valves were generally located in the block. Overhead valves permit the use of higher compression ratios and allow the engine to breathe (take in fuel and expel exhaust gases) more efficiently.

It was from this base of a rigid, compact, efficient power plant that the engineers began to build their horsepower giants, using the time-honored techniques of sports and racing car designers. To get more fuel into the engine faster, improvements were made in manifolding, the four-throat carburetor was evolved, valves were enlarged, and the camshaft was modified to open the valves farther and keep them open longer. To obtain more work from the fuel, the compression ratio was raised. And to get rid of the exhaust gases faster, dual exhaust systems were installed. Some of the manufacturers employed only a few of these methods, some employed all. Not one of them used up his entire repertoire of tricks.

Some idea of the ultimate output of the new engines can be gained by studying their performance in races and record runs. Chrysler has reported over 330 horsepower from one of its racing models, and Chrysler engines have been used to set national and international speed records. Erwin Goldschmidt’s Cadillac-powered Allard sports car won the Watkins Glen race once and has placed high in other events in the East. His engine is said to develop about 300 horsepower.

Actual performance gains from the new engines have been less than gratifying when measured against the magnitude of the horsepower increases. Top speed has risen from about 95—100 m.p.h. for the luxury cars in 1951 to 110-115 m.p.h. for the same cars in 1953 and will be somewhat higher in 1954, though no test results are available yet. These are speeds recorded during road tests, not manufacturers’ figures — the companies are still reluctant to release the results of their own comprehensive road tests. According to one magazine, there was only one car able to clock over 100 m.p.h. in 1951; eight could attain or surpass that figure in 1953. One car which went up 33 percent in horsepower gained less than 14 per cent in top speed; another fared better, with a 19 per cent increase in top speed for a 31 per cent increase in horsepower.

Acceleration figures tell a similar story. A group of cars which could run the quarter mile from a standing start in 20 seconds in 1951 required only 18 seconds to perform the same feat in 1953. That’s a 10 per cent decrease in time from an average horsepower increase of 21 per cent.

2

IT IS the nature of the car itself which is preventing more spectacular gains in performance. The average big car is about 0.5 feet wide, slightly over 5 feet high, and 18 feet long overall. Frame, body, and engine are composed largely of iron and steel, so the weight is high — about 4100 pounds without the addition of water, gasoline, and oik Oddly, these physical specifications have not changed radically since 1941. A Chrysler New Yorker weighed 3775 pounds in 1941, slightly over 4200 pounds in 1951, 4000 pounds in 1954. In size, it has shrunk slightly in tread and wheel base during that period, increased less than 1 per cent in over-all length, decreased in height by almost 5 inches. Other cars have undergone almost the same few changes in size and weight.

During the same span of years, styling has been almost as constant. An American car body is designed to carry five or six passengers and has a tremendous luggage capacity, yet it must appeal to the customer’s sense of beauty. Any thought of aerodynamic efficiency is kept thoroughly in the background until all other requirements have been satisfied. Thus the car, which is big and heavy to begin with, is fitted with a body designed primarily to keep out the weather, look attractive, and be comfortable.

All this sheer size and unstreamlined bulk is difficult to accelerate and move rapidly. The best intentions of the engineers cannot change the laws of physics, which recognize frontal area, body design, weight, and horsepower as the principal factors affecting performance. The weight-to-power ratio is generally taken as a valid indication of the acceleration that can be expected, which makes it pretty obvious that increasing horsepower is only half the job. In top speed, frontal area and body design are the chief hindrances or assets, since most of the resistance is offered by the medium through which the car is moving. Wind drag, as it is Called, varies with the square of the velocity; the horsepower required to drive the car against the wind drag is generally considered to vary as the cube of the velocity. Where the drag is high to begin with, as it is in any vehicle of the dimensions of an American car, outstanding top speed would require almost incredible horsepower. It has been estimated that to raise the top speed of a Chrysler New Yorker to 170 m.p.h. would require an engine with an output of between 650 and 700 horsepower. There is some doubt that the car could stay on its wheels at that speed, so tremendous would be the pressure against it. What applies to the Chrysler in this respect, applies equally to all other U.S. cars of similar size.

If you’ve been following the sports car activities In America and Europe, you’ve seen how easy it is to achieve 170 m.p.h. in a vehicle designed for high speed. Mercedes-Benz’s 300 SL coupe, Ferrari’s America, Mexico, and 4.5-liter models, and a few others have managed to go that high, generally with engines of less displacement than those in use in America. The Mercedes is rated at 240 horsepower, just a shade over Chrysler and Cadillac. But look at the dimensions of the 300 SL: wheel base, 7 feet 10.4 inches; width 5 feet 10.5 inches; height, 4 feet l.S inches; curb weight with 34 U.S. gallons of fuel, approximately 2500 pounds. A feature of the 300 SL which doesn’t show up in the slatistics is its superbly clean body, designed to slip through the air with as little disturbance as possible. Sacrifices in comfort and in cost of manufacture had to he made to bring height and weight down to such ideal proportions. The engine was cocked over at an angle of 60 degrees from the vertical to lower the hood line; entrances for driver and passenger were cut into the roof to make the car accessible and still keep the top low.

Nobody expects, or wants, General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler to build anything resembling a Mercedes 300 SL. Sports car production is not the principal business of Detroit. But in the process of producing and designing sports cars, European and private American builders have learned much that Detroit might apply to the cars we’ll be using for transportation in the future. Before this can happen, however, there will have to be a minor revolution in American taste and buying habits.

It is an undeniable fact that this country produces no high-quality small cars. Detroit claims, with some justification, that its customers will not be satisfied with any machine smaller than the relatively large Fords, Chevrolets, and Plymouths. Even the driver who seldom carries passengers demands wide front and rear seats. The city dweller who rarely ventures beyond the city limits insists that his car be capable of cruising at 60 or 70 m.p.h. Both demand a heavy car, because the superstition still persists that the heavy car is safer and more comfortable. Both theories have been thoroughly exploded time and again. A sports car, which is about half the weight of an American car, is far safer at any road speed; comfort is mainly a matter of suspension and seat cushions, neither of which needs to be large in order to be soft.

Prestige is another reason for the American infatuation with big cars and big engines. In this view, size varies directly with the cost of the car, and it is essential that the price be instantly apparent to the casual viewer. The post-war Rolls-Royce, which is considerably smaller than a Cadillac, has had disappointing sales partly for this reason. Nobody will believe that it costs more than $10,000.

Until Americans begin to appreciate the economy and utility of the smaller car, Detroit will continue to build big ones. And with the big car will inevitably go the big engine and vast horsepower. Periodically there will be horsepower races to stimulate sales, as there are now and as there have been in the past. But little benefit will be realized from these races, because the American car has gone about as far as it can go on sheer power. A chassis-design race or a streamlining race would produce quick and positive results in both performance and economy, but there is grave doubt that either would accomplish its objective as a selling point. And that, after all, is the final test in a free economy.