There's high-minded discussions about a motor's balance and drivability, and then there's the hedonistic glee of unearthly amounts of power and noise in short druglike bursts. These are Jalopnik readers' picks for the best dyno videos of all time.
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10.) 1400HP Supra At TX2K11
Suggested By: 3TimesTwice
Why it spins us right round: Racers and rodders have been using dynos as tuning tools since the carbs-and-points era, but the modern era of four-figure outputs and demon-vacuum-cleaner noise really coincides with the introduction of Toyota's magnificent 2JZ-GTE powerplant. Back that inline-6 with a turbocharger the size of two volleyballs and the result is almost undrivable on the street, but threatens to twist dynos into large metal pretzels.
9.) Mitsubishi Evo Jumps The Rollers
Suggested By: Klic
Why it spins us right round: Running even a moderately powerful car up to speed at full throttle isn't a casual or risk-free task. Tires shred, motors blow, and sometimes the car itself just wants to bolt like a nervous kid at a doctor's office. This Evo obviously would prefer a rally stage to the mild torture of the rack.
8.) Koenigsegg CCX Flamethrower
Suggested By: killernoodle
Why it spins us right round: Sometimes the aftereffects of a run are almost as fun to see as the run itself. It looks like this Koenigsegg has been set up to double as a shop heater during those cold Swedish winters.
7.) The Ferrari F40 And The Slightly Scared Onlookers
Suggested By: Saracen
Why it spins us right round: Technicians in dyno vids usually look pretty blase: ho-hum, another thousand-horsepower turbo Vette. Faced with one of Ferrari's fiercest street cars at full howl, though, these guys can't help but betray just a bit of self-preservation instinct.
6.) Ferrari 360 Challenge
Suggested By: W123D sedan roadster - WRX - 944 LeMons edition
Why it spins us right round: Turbos may have those whooshy climaxes and huge numbers, but for a quality sonic experience it's impossible to beat a good naturally aspirated car. This 360 racer with straight pipes plays a quick concerto through the gears, with a bit of a Pyrrhic flourish at the end.
5.) Mazda 4-Rotor
Suggested By: djmtsu
Why it spins us right round: Wankel engines are very much their own thing; if you've ever been trackside when a barely-muffled rotary goes by, you won't forget that peculiarly intense sound. The four rotors of this one put out a sound not unlike a Formula 1 motor, but there's just that extra harshness in there to scrape at your eardrums like a really great distorted guitar tone.
4.) Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640
Suggested By: Funda
Why it spins us right round: Think what you will about Lamborghinis, but it is impossible to deny that they make some of the most fantastic sounds in the car world: loud, brassy, resonant, endlessly dramatic. The harmonics that this Murciélago lays down are the envy of sound sculptors around the world.
3.) Grand National Dyno Burnout
Suggested By: Jonathan Hodgman
Why it spins us right round: Any Buick Grand National is a menacing beast, but Chris Chow's car goes straight to bellicose with the two turbines poking out of the hood like guns. The power band on this car must be pretty narrow, but once it's in there it unleashes hell. Let it take its time, let everything get to work, and when it does work it almost destroys the dyno.
2.) Mustang Drag Car Needs A Bigger Dyno
Suggested By: Alexander Maag
Why it spins us right round: Take Chow's Buick and increase everything by several orders of magnitude. The roar of the mondo-sized race motor would be enough, but then the turbo starts to spin and tries to suck the whole universe into those combustion chambers. We don't know how much power this thing makes: the dyno only measured up to 1200HP.
1.) Renault F1 Test Cycle
Suggested By: DasWauto - Stupid electronics, I like mechanical things
Why it spins us right round: Modern automotive power at its purest, most dynamic, and most sonically extreme: this clip is a symphony of shower-head injectors and blue flames and glowing manifolds and the most inimitable shrieking of our time. And it's not over in ten seconds, giving that noise all the more time to drill into your skull and leave you wanting more.