Performance deal of all time?

My friend Nathan and I have talked about this a number of times and we cannot think of a better performance bargain than the Dodge SRT-4. Here are the numbers:

2.4 liter turbocharged in-line four cylinder
front engine, front wheel drive
5-speed manual
Quaife limited slip differential
curb weight: 2970 pounds
230 horsepower
250 lb-ft of torque
power to weight ratio of 12.9
0-60 mph: 5.3 seconds
1/4 mile: 13.9 at 103 mph
top speed: 148 mph (electronically limited)--although Car and Driver has clocked it at 153
0.86g on the skidpad

Yes, you read correctly. That is a front driver clocking a 5.3 second 0-60 time. Yes, you read correctly. That is a front driver that is a 13 second car. Pretty crazy. The obvious question is, "how does Dodge get this kind of performance out of 'only' 230 hp?" Well the answer lies in a little dishonesty on Dodge's part--the good kind of dishonesty. Dodge, god bless 'em, significantly underrated the power output on the SRT-4. One dyno slip I have seen of a 2004 SRT-4 put down 238 horsepower and 249 lb-ft of torque TO THE WHEELS. Factoring in a conservative 12% drivetrain loss, we're talking about 266 horsepower and 286 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel. Wow. That number would drop the power to weight ratio down from 12.9 to 11.2, which would make the performance figures a littler easier to understand.

One of the really cool options available on the SRT-4 is the dealer installed, Mopar performance upgrades, Stages I-III.

Stage I:
240 horsepower
260 lb-ft torque

Stage II:
260 horsepower
280 lb-ft torque

Stage II with Turbo Toys and High Octane Mode:
280 horsepower
300 lb-ft torque

Stage III:
300 horsepower
300 lb-ft of torque

Your guess is as good as mine as far as what "real" numbers these different cars are putting down. It is certainly reasonable to assume significantly more than claimed.

One last thing about the SRT-4. In the November 2004 issue of Sport Compact Car, they tested what Dodge is calling the SRT-4 Extreme Lightweight. It is a completely stripped, race-ready SRT-4, with Stage III tuning. The removal of material resulted in a reduction of 400 lbs of mass. Wow. The curb weight SCC got was 2495. Also, they strapped the car on the dyno and nourished it with some 100 octane race fuel. Then they took it to the dragstrip and racetrack. The results:
369 (wheel) horsepower
383 (wheel) lb-ft of torque
0-60: 4.7 seconds
0-100: 9.6 seconds
1/4 mile: 12.5 at 119.2
slalom: 1.01 g
skidpad: 74.9 mph
60-0 mph: 109 feet
Again if we factor in a 12% driveline loss, the numbers are approximately 413 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque. Now our power to weight ratio is 6.0. Just for reference, that number puts it ahead of cars such as the Viper SRT-10 (6.8), Ford GT (6.8), 911 GT2 (6.6), the new Ferrari F430 (6.5), and the Mercedes SLR (6.1). The types of car that have better power to weight ratios are ones such as a Z06 with a Vortech Supercharger (5.9), the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe (5.8), Maserati MC12 (5.1), Enzo (5.0), Carrera GT (5.0) and the S7 (5.0). Needless to say this is pretty rare company.
One of the most interesting things about the SRT-4 Extreme Lightweight is that the only engine mods were the Mopar Stage III kit (which any person can get from their local Dodge dealer), a side-exit exhaust (which any good neighborhood muffler/exhaust shop ought to be able to do (not Midas)), and 100 octane fuel (expensive, but certainly available). In short, anyone can make those power numbers on a SRT-4. Obviously it would be difficult (and probably impractical) to reproduce the weight loss, but with over 400 horsepower at the flywheel, the stock weight wouldn't feel all that heavy. An aside here: the Dodge boys installed SSR Competitions (remember I said those are my favorite rims in the world) on this SRT-4 in addition to R-compound Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires. I told you I like those rims. The 17X8s they used weigh a measly 13.7 pounds. That unsprung weight reduction just magnified the 400 pound diet the SRT-4 went on.

Oh, by the way, a 2005 Dodge SRT-4 with a 70,000 mile warranty: $21,228 including destination and handling. That, my friends, is a measly $92 per horsepower (using Dodge's claimed horsepower numbers). Which begs the question: Is this the best performance deal of the decade? the century? all time?