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High horsepower is a necessity for today's gadget-laden cars. The new automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering, power seat, and power window lift already bleed as much as 10 to 20 h.p. from the engine. And there is no stopping the gadgeteers: the latest air-conditioning units take another 10 h.p. to cool the air inside the car. Apart from the power-robbing gadgets, few engines ever develop horsepower figures contained in the advertising blurbs. Most automakers measure horsepower by means of a dynamometer: the engine is stripped of its load, ideally tuned and hooked up directly to the instrument. Thus, an advertised 200 h.p. engine may deliver that much on the test stand, but much less in actual torque delivered to the rear wheels of the car. After 3,000 miles, carbon deposits drain off 10 h.p.; a hot summer day robs the engine of another 20 h.p. because hot air decreases fuel mixture efficiency; another 20 h.p. goes to operate the fan belt, water pump, generator, etc.; still another 20 h.p. is lost in bearing, transmission and tire friction. With gadgets, the driver of a 200 h.p. car may wind up with little more than 100 h.p. to move his car.
Nevertheless, Detroit is becoming aware that more horsepower will soon get past the point of paying dividends—both from an engineering and a public-relations standpoint. For 1956, the industry is making another pitch to car buyers: more safety—with seat belts, shock-absorbing steering wheels and padded instrument panels. Some industry officials think that engines may climb as high as 400 h.p. but not much higher. Says Ford's Continental Chief Bill Ford: "Up in that range pure horsepower is useless. You step on the accelerator and just burn rubber. You may have the most, but for all practical purposes, you have nothing."