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Insane performance is cheaper than you might think. Modern cars are ripe for tweaking while bargain buys can be performance monsters.
Getting more for less, a gearhead's dream for decades has spawned a whole industry of performance upgrades. As carmakers move towards more efficient, environmentally friendly cars, the numbers keep on growing. Take your average import four-cylinder car, turbochargers making up for cubic inches open up a world of possibilities.
The simplest route to more power requires nothing more than a laptop to remap the engine's ECU. Feeding the cylinders with more fuel and air results in a bigger bang, and presto, you've scored yourself some free power gains. At some point your pistons, crank, and cam will scream enough. Upgrade these also, and more performance is to be had. Aftermarket tuners are some of the most innovative gearheads out there.
Where does that leave naturally aspirated cars? The basic process is the same, although the end results are not quite so impressive, forcing gearheads to consider a blower or turbo package. Only your imagination limits power output.
Related: Here Are The 10 Best Sports Cars Regular People Can Afford In 2022
Any list of high-performance affordable machinery has to include Honda's Civic Type-R. Coming in at under $40k, you won't find anything cheaper with quite so much power on tap. Out of the box, Honda's K20C1 mill punches out 306 hp, all sent to the front wheels.
However, there is more performance to be had from the 2-liter engine. A simple ECU remap and exhaust update can unlock 380 hp. Getting more involved, bigger turbos and a standalone ECU push the four-cylinder beyond 500 hp.
Off the bat, BMW claims the M240i wades in the battle with 387 hp. A figure not too dissimilar to the Supra with which it shares the B58 turbocharged engine. We've all heard the stories of underrated power outputs, dyno testing reveals the number is closer to 400 hp.
In reality, those numbers are way lower than the B58 can handle. Running a stock crankshaft, 600 hp is reckoned to be the limit. Even then, there is room for improvement. Chucking away the crank, pistons, and most of the engine's internals could net you as much as 1000 ponies.
RELATED: 10 Things To Know Before Buying The 2022 BMW M240i
Go-faster kits for the Ford Mustang unlock insane power figures, with Hennessey Performance Engineering managing 1000 hp. Closer to stock, any V8 Mustang fitted with Fords own off-the shelf bolt-on upgrades is cheaper.
The 2022 Mustang GT is a good place to start. It's equipped with a 5-liter Coyote engine kicking out 450 hp. Upgrading the Coyote V8 just got even easier. Ford recently announced the GT500's Predator heads can be fitted to any run-of-the-mill Mustang V8, unlocking the potential for bigger gains.
JDM fan favorite and tuner special, the RX7 FD3S proves smaller is better. Under the hood, Wankel twin-rotor 13B engines cranked out 252 hp from a tiny 1.3-liter displacement. Adding to the FD3S unique engine set-up, Mazda further complicated matters with a clever sequential turbocharger set-up.
Mazda's choice of rotary over conventional engine designs plays in to the hands of gearhead tuners. Smaller, lighter, and more efficient, the 13Bs headroom running stock was as much as 400 hp. With a rotor upgrade and bigger turbos, 1000 horses is possible, briefly.
Made famous by The Fast And Furious, Toyota's Supra Mk. IV has long been held in high regard as a sport car. Interest from gearheads and tuners alike have forced prices up in recent years; the A80 is no longer as affordable as it once was. Launched in 1993, the Supra was Toyota's ticket to the big leagues.
Space-age looks aside, it's what lies beneath the skin that causes so much interest. Purely by accident, Toyota gave us one of the greatest engines ever made, the 2JZ-GE. Fresh from the dealer, a 3-liter twin turbocharged straight six putting out 326 hp. A healthy aftermarket tuning scene saw this figure more than double.
RELATED: JDM Legend: A Look Back At The Amazing 1993 MKIV Toyota Supra 2JZ
The Skyline and RB26DETT combination is near unbeatable. Nissan's world beating, budget-friendly supercar has been around since the late 1950s. However, it was at the arrival of the legendary RB26DETT in the R31/R32 that things really took off.
In stock guise Nissan, like other Japanese manufacturers, it was pegged at 276 hp. In reality, 300+ hp is closer to the truth. The RB26 engine used a cast iron block topped with aluminum heads sporting four-valves per cylinder. Ancillary wise, two Garret GT2860R turbochargers generate 11 psi of boost. If those numbers are too tame, RB26DETT motors properly set-up will run 600-700 hp, more with a turbo/piston upgrade.
The Cadillac CTS-V might seem like an odd choice of tuner car, but it's what lies under the hood that counts. Think Corvette C6 ZR1 in a four-door sedan, and you won't be too far off the mark. Under the hood, LS9-based blocks combined with LS3 heads result in the supercharged 6.2-liter LSA motor cranking out 556 hp.
Turning up the wick a little, 700 hp is easily achievable using a stock engine block running a higher boost. Beyond that, you're into bigger blowers, forged cranks and pistons, getting you close to the magic`1000 hp barrier.
Originally the hottest and factory supported Cobalt SS shipped with supercharge 2.4-liter engines. In 2008, all that changed, unable to meet emissions regulations; Chevrolet went down the turbocharged path with the smaller LNF Ecotec 2-liter mill.
The change to a lower displacement yielded higher power figures, 260 hp versus the stage 3 SC's 248 hp, slashing half a second from the 0-60 mph time. Impressive numbers back then, remembering Cobalt SS was front-wheel drive. Chevrolet's Ecotec engine isn't ready to give up the fight so easily, a simple remap is all that's required to produce 450 hp without replacing the internals.
RELATED: Here's How The Cobalt SS Brought Chevy Into The 2000s Tuner Market
Only in the U.S. can gearheads get a V8-powered sports car for under $52k. When launched back in 2014, the C7 Corvette Stingray packed a 6.2-liter V8 punching out 460 hp. More than enough to haul the 3,400 lb Vette to 60 mph in 3 to 9 seconds and on to a top speed of 190 mph. Bargains like this don't come along often.
Remapping the ECU running everything stock, the LT1 runs out of options at 600 hp. However, throw some cash at the engine, cams, pistons and a performance fuel pump, and you're looking at an easy 800+ ponies.
Saving the baddest until last, the insanely powerful Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Easily the most powerful also in stock form, packing a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 putting down 707 hp. Already close to breaking point? Not a chance. In spite of a dated 16-valve push-rod design, the HEMI engined SRT has plenty in reserve.
Various aftermarket kits can unlock the HEMI engine for more power. From simple plug-in and filter upgrades through to mechanical changes. Depending on just how much power is enough, being the only deciding factor, Stage II kits that merely bolt-on yield 885 hp.
Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.