Opinion: there should be a horsepower limit for all new cars

It’s something I spend entirely too much time contemplating. When I am finally appointed Supreme Overlord of Planet Earth With Particular Responsibility for Transportation, what will be the first legislation I pass? (Delusional egoist? Moi?)

Instant exile for anyone with their fog lamps on when it’s bright and sunny out, obviously. Instant exile for anyone who leaves their car parallel parked with the front wheels off-straight. But I’ve recently got a new law on my list, and it’s a big ’un: a horsepower limit for all cars. A stringent restriction, for all new cars, everywhere in the world. Supercars, sports cars, no exception.

Which I know might sound a bit draconian and fun-sponge, but I reckon it’d be the opposite. A horsepower limit is exactly what the world of fast cars needs. Not for eco reasons, purely for fun-to-drive reasons. As we know, there’s far too much horsepower sloshing around at present. And horsepower is heavy. Not only the motors to generate the stuff, but the brakes and suspension to contain it. Slap on a horsepower limit, and manufacturers could funnel all that development cash and brainpower into making their cars lighter, more interesting to drive.

Question is, exactly what should that horsepower limit be? Again, given that my appointment as Supreme Commander is looking less than guaranteed at present, I’ve spent altogether too long agonising over the precise number. And then I remembered: there’s historical precedent here! Because, from the late Eighties to the mid Noughties, Japanese manufacturers had a so-called ‘gentleman’s agreement’ not to sell cars – in their domestic market at least – making any more than 276bhp.

This agreement was, at least officially, nothing to do with fostering innovation, and all to do with demonstrating the carmakers’ great concern for road safety. It’s not clear how they settled on precisely 276bhp as the golden figure, what with Japanese cars of 275 horsepower still having the ability to make a nasty mess of whatever it is they collide with.

But I reckon 276bhp might be a bang-on figure. Fast enough for some proper speed, stringent enough to require some proper innovation. And if you’re thinking that’s not enough for genuine tear-your-face-off performance, remember: 276bhp is pretty much the exact output of the original BAC Mono. I drove the original BAC Mono, and can report it wasn’t what you’d call ‘underpowered’. And yes, the Mono was a single-seat, 560kg racecar for the road, but tell me that if Ferrari or McLaren took a load of that R&D cash they’ve been spending squeezing ever more power out of their powertrains, they couldn’t cook up a sub-600kg two-seater supercar?

Forget the inevitable 1,200bhp, 1,600kg hyper-hybrid that’ll follow the SF90: how much do you want to see what a half-tonne Ferrari supercar looks like? And how much do you want to drive it?