Caparo T1

Power-to-Weight: 575 hp / 1,036 lbs = .55 0-60 mph: 2.5 seconds Top Speed: 205 mph There is really else nothing quite like the Caparo T1 out there. An Ariel Atom on F1-strength steroids, the Caparo T1 was designed by a bunch of engineers behind the equally astonishing McLaren F1. Essentially an F1 race car for the street, Caparo’s fitted the T1 with a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V8. The car's minuscule curb weight can be attributed to its carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque. Designed to exploit high-speed aerodynamic downforce, the T1’s been reported to be a handful at low speeds, lacking the necessary grip to maintain traction. That makes this one car that's actually safer to drive quickly.

SSC Ultimate Aero CCX

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 1,300 hp / 2,800 lbs = .46 0-60 mph: 2.65 seconds Top Speed: 273 (unverified) Only five of these 1,300 hp brutes exist. Revving to a 9,200 rpm redline, this celebration of the end of the Ultimate Aero’s production run features enhanced cooling and transmission upgrades in addition to its bored-out 6.9-liter twin-turbo V8. In SSC’s quest to best the Bugatti Veyron’s record-setting top speed, test drivers reported wheelspin at speeds in excess of 190 mph. Call me crazy, but that sounds just a wee bit hairy.

Ariel Atom V8

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 500 hp / 1,213 lbs = .41 0-60 mph: 2.3 seconds Top Speed: 168 mph What more can you say about this V8-powered go-kart besides holy f*ck sh*t? Powered by a 3.0-liter V8 crafted from two Suzuki Hayabusa engines strapped together, the Ariel Atom V8 is the king of featherweights. Face-melting speed is all this machine was created for.

Koenigsegg Agera R

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 1,114 hp / 2,844 lbs = .4 0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds Top Speed: 273 mph (unverified) Prepare yourself, for now we enter the realm of the insane. One thousand and one hundred forty-four horsepower is just too much. There is no possible need for humans to have that much power at their fingertips. The only reason for this Swedish freak’s creation is simply to answer the question “Why not?” Running on biofuel, Koenigsegg claims that on special tires the Agera R can hit a ludicrous 440 km/h, or 272.8 mph, although this limit has yet to be officially tested. Featuring an in-house-developed twin-turbo-charged 5.0-liter V8, the Agera has broken six production-car world land speed records, even besting the Veyron's 14.6 second run to 300 km/h by .07 seconds.

Donkervoort D8 GTO

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 400 hp / 1,543 lbs = .259 0-60 mph: 2.8 seconds Top Speed: 168 mph Few have heard of Donkervoort and even fewer have witnessed in person the awesome performance of these Dutch creations. Following the same equation as the Caterham, the D8 GTO is another evolution of the Lotus Seven’s original weight-reduction formula. Carrying a 2.5-liter TFSI Audi five-cylinder engine tuned to 400 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, the Donkervoort teleports Chapman’s philosophy into the 21st century. Starting at $130,250, this devilish creation is an affordable way to trounce every competitor on the road and look oh-so-mysteriously classy while doing so.

Pagani Huayra

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 720 hp / 3,000 lbs = .24 0-60 mph: 3.3 seconds Top Speed: 230 mph From a $67,000 glorified kit car, we move on to the bespoke and luxurious world of the $1,300,000 Pagani Huayra. Equipped with a modified 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V12 from Mercedes’ AMG skunkworks, the Huayra plays in the same ridiculous power range as the F12 Berlinetta. But thanks to its carbotanium monocoque chassis, it can claim a weight savings in excess of 300 pounds. The Huayra, despite its better power-to-weight ratio, still gets beat by the F12 on the sprint to 60, though. Chalk that one up to Ferrari’s advanced launch control.

Caterham Seven Superlight R500

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 263 hp / 1,115 lbs = .235 0-60 mph: 2.88 seconds Top Speed: 150 mph What the F12 achieves through sheer power, the Caterham R500 does even better with just one thing -- weight, or rather the lack thereof. Essentially an updated version of Colin Chapman’s Lotus Seven and the embodiment of his saying, “Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere,” the Superlight R500 comes with a relatively microscopic 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four cylinder that provides just 263 hp at 8,500 rpm and 177 lb-ft of torque at 7,200 rpm. This high-revving little hornet will ricochet through corners so fast your passenger will be scared sh*tless and your face will be permanently welded into a bug-splattered grin.