Dan started talking about the new Toyota F1 car last week, and I wrote it off as another R8, 911, or Space Shuttle obsession (yea, these come and go by the minute).  Then he started talking specs, and it got me thinking.  Seriously, half the weight of a 911 and double the power?  Wow.  While most of us may never have the opportunity to drive one of those machines, it’s still awesome to think that this technology is possible.  As Dan put together a video for the Toyota F1 car program, we started brainstorming what other motor-powered things have that kind of power-to-weight ratio.  Using my primitive math and Microsoft Excel skills, I built a table in which we calculated the power-to-weight ratios for things from a Sidewinder missile to a 4-door Honda Accord LX.  Check it out below, and check out the F1 video here.  The results are a bit silly.

Yes, there’s a few things on the list that aren’t cars and yea, we have a few random selections (we’re outside the box thinkers here) but because we’re MotorFanatics, we get stoked about anything with a motor.  The Sidewinder missile is more for perspective, but still to see that the Space Shuttle, which is capable of 16,000 miles per hour (no, I didn’t add extra zero’s there) has a lower power to weight ratio than the Toyota F1 car or even the 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1, a bike that most of us might be able to ride, is pretty cool to see.  To think that any of us could ride something that has a higher power-to-weight ratio than the friggen Space Shuttle is awesome, and it’s what makes being a  MotorFanatic great.  Don’t get me wrong, we still dream of being Astronauts, but could riding a Yamaha R1 give us the same sensation?  Well, maybe not. But still, the power-to-weight ratio is more, and it’s a really quick bike.  Yes please.

Tags: Car, horsepower, space shuttle, speed