Ferrari Enzo has 660 hp and tops out around 217.

 

And a Veyron does 253 with only a 1000 hp. What's your point?

 

That you can not always base performance only on horsepower numbers.

 

Peak HP/TQ, area under the curve, drag coefficient, frontal area, and gearing all play a part.

This is why the 996TT will do so well in this competition compared to other cars that have more HP. It has a small frontal area and a low drag-coefficient (even lower than the GT2), good peak HP/TQ, a large area under the curve and great gearing.

If you've ever wondered why 911 turbos seem to consistently beat cars that make much more peak HP than they do...those are the reasons. Those reasons apply equally at 100 mph, 150 mph or 200 mph and beyond.

Using simple peak HP #'s from other types of cars as a comparison gauge isn't accurate whatsoever. The Veyron is a perfect example of this; it weighs 4,500 lbs, makes *only* 850-900 HP to the wheels, has a ton of drag (.36-.41, depending on the position of it's rear wing)...yet still manages to hit 204 mph in a standing mile. That's due to it's gearing, and what I'm sure is a phenomenally large area under the curve (thanks to it's huge displacement and 4 turbo chargers).

Point is, it's not about peak HP. It's about the whole package.