12 of the Highest-Revving Production Cars Ever Made
Low-end torque is great, but a screaming top end is magical.
We love low-end torque, but there's something undeniably fantastic about a production car that screams like a race car. These are some of the rev-happiest production cars ever built. Coincidentally, these are also some of our favorite cars ever built.
Honda Civic Type R (FD2) – 8600-rpm
Reflecting its early roots as a motorcycle manufacturer, Honda were the kings of the high-revving four-cylinder. The previous generation Civic Type R remains the rev-happiest Civic, with an 8600-rpm redline in JDM trim. Now that it has joined the modern era and embraced turbocharging in a big way, the days of 8000-rpm Hondas are probably over. Don't be sad they're over; be glad they happened.
Audi R8 V10 (First Generation) – 8700 RPM
The current R8 is a delightful screamer with its 8500-rpm redline, but the first V10-powered R8 has it beat by a nose. Its 5.2-liter V10 redlined at 8700-rpm and loved to be hammered on. Interestingly, this R8 revved higher than its close relative, the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Porsche 911 (991) GT3 RS – 8800-rpm
The new GT3 RS doesn't rev quite as high as its non-RS companion, but with an 8800-rpm redline, you're not exactly missing much. Stroking the GT3's 3.8-liter flat-six to 4.0-liters shaves off a little of the top-end, but the extra 15-hp you get more than makes up for it. Plus with that crazy wing, it's not as if the 911 GT3 RS lacks for theatre.
Ferrari F12tdf – 8900-rpm
A high-revving, small displacement engine is one thing; a big 6.3-liter V12 that nearly touches nine large is a different matter. For the more hardcore, track-focused F12tdf, Ferrari bumped the standard F12's horsepower from 730 to 770, and raised the redline to 8900-rpm. Mental, especially when you learn that this engine has more to give, as you'll find out later in this list.
Honda S2000 (AP1) – 8900-rpm
Instead of cheesy retro design cues, Honda decided to honor its earliest roadsters with a high-strung inline-four. The S2000's 8900-rpm redline was deemed too high for the normal consumers, so it was reduced to a still-impressive 8200-rpm for 2004. When it was new, it had more horsepower per liter than any other naturally aspirated engine. The best thing about it is that this motor could be had for a fraction of the price of a Ferrari, and it was dead reliable. It is, after all, a Honda.
Ferrari 458 – 9000-rpm
The 4.5-liter V8 used in the 458 is Ferrari's parting gift to the naturally aspirated V8. It made 562-hp in standard trim and nearly 600-hp in the 458 Speciale. Peak power arrived at a 9000-rpm redline, which meant this motor loved to work. The turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 in the 488 GTB is great, but we can't help but miss the naturally aspirated Ferrari V8.
Lexus LFA – 9000-rpm
The V10 in the Lexus LFA almost resembles an F1 engine more than something to stick in a road car. It revs so quickly to its 9000-rpm redline, Lexus deemed it necessary to install a digital tachometer. Allegedly, no analog needle could keep up. It sounds like nothing else on the road racing to that lofty redline too.
Porsche 911 (991) GT3 – 9000-rpm
Enthusiasts were sad about the demise of the competition-derived Metzger engine in the 997 GT3, but Porsche quickly rectified things with a 9000-rpm redline in the GT3's 3.8-liter. For 2018, the engine is an all-new 4.0-liter unit with the same wild redline, but this time around it shares many parts with the Cup race car and makes 500 horsepower.
Porsche 918 Spyder – 9150-rpm
The obvious benefit of a hybrid system is fuel efficiency, but the 918 shows us another benefit: Torque-fill. That's actually the term McLaren uses to describe the powerplant in the P1, but it applies well to all three hybrid hypercars. It describes the marriage of a high-strung gasoline engine with the low-end torque of an electric motor. That allowed Porsche to set the redline of the 918's V8 at a crazy 9150-rpm without detriment to its daily driveability.
Ferrari LaFerrari – 9250-rpm
The LaFerrari uses a similar powertrain concept as the 918, but Ferrari decided to stretch the redline to 9250-rpm. That's a crazy number by any standard, but in a V12? It's mind-blowing. You expect numbers like that out of a tiny bike engine, not something that displaces 6.3-liters. Hopefully, the development of a hybrid system will let us enthusiasts enjoy Ferrari's naturally aspirated V12s well in the future.
Honda S500/S600/S800 – 9500-rpm
When Honda first got into the car business in 1963, it drew heavily on its experience in motorcycle production. This is evident in the inline-fours found in Honda's first roadster, which scream to a scarcely believable 9500-rpm. These tiny power plants had four carburettors each and dual-overhead cams; impressive stuff for the era. They sound unreal too.
Ariel Atom 500 – 10,500-rpm
What happens when you stick two Hayabusa engines joined at the crank in a tube-framed, track day special? The Ariel Atom 500. Only 25 were built and each revved to 10,500-rpm, eclipsing every other production car built. That's the advantage of using motorcycle components in a car.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins served as Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist.
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