The Ultimate London Taxi has a big block Chevy

One of the first things that come to mind when one thinks of London is the venerable taxi. It has been an icon for the city and a lot of old school taxis still motor around town taking passengers to their destinations.

The London taxi in this YouTube video is anything but your typical underpowered English roundabout. Computer specialist Steve Birchall spent nearly £60,000 (around $85k USD) ripping out the car's original diesel powerplant and shoehorning in a whomping big V8. There's very little going on outside to give away the car's secret, unless you look toward the rear. Back there, the fully tubbed monster meats kind of give away the game.

Under the hood you will find a big block 502 cubic inch V8 that puts out around 500 horsepower. Apparently is also runs to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. Check out the videos for more info on this ultimate sleeper.

Dodge Viper ACR on the dyno

The true test for a car is on the dyno. No matter what the manufacturer says, there's some solace in seeing what kind of horsepower and torque it puts down. Not surprisingly, most muscle cars tend to put out more power than advertised.

The Dodge Viper ASC and the Corvette ZR1 are actually quite similar, according to Drag Times, with the Viper posting an impressive 546 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque compared to the supercharged ZR1's 549.9 horsepower and 500 lb-ft.

Considering that both vehicles use a six-speed stick and power the rear wheels, drivetrain losses should be similar, so these figures are relatively comparable. For what it's worth, Dodge officially (under) rates the ACR at 600 horsepower, and an estimated 15% loss through the drivetrain would put this beast at an actual 642 horses.