Forbes magazine has put together a list of the fastest vehicles available for under $50,000, and the results aren’t surprising (at least to us). The 2012 Shelby GT500 tops the list, barely squeezing under the limit with a base price of $49,605, while the 2012 Boss 302 made it a Mustang 1-2 by taking home second place. With Forbes using a horsepower-to-weight ratio rather than acceleration times or top speed to determine the best performance car, the two Mustangs dominated the list with 6.9 lb/hp and 8.2 lb/hp, respectively. Other cars on the list include the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 (8.4 lb/hp), 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 (8.9 lb/hp) and the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS (9.1 lb/hp).
Interestingly, the 2012 Mustang GT wasn’t included in the article, perhaps to prevent a list consisting mostly of Mustangs. It’s horsepower-to-weight ratio of 8.7 lb/hp would have put it fourth on the list. The 2012 Mustang V6 with a ratio of 11.3 lb/hp is just outside the top ten, just behind the Subaru Impreza WRX STI’s 11.1 lb/hp.
You can see the full list of cars over at Forbes.com.