Bhp

Actual horsepower, measured on a dynamometer which acts as a brake. as opposed to horsepower calculated from some arbitrary formula for taxation purposes. It is a unit of measurement devised in steam-engine days and based on the work capacity of a large dray horse - hence the abbreviations PS [Pferde-Starke or horse strength} in German and CV in French and Italian (Cheval-Vapeur. Cauallce Vapote). Always look for net or DIN figures as these give the output of the engine as installed in the car, rather than with items such as the cooling fan and alternator removed. The British {bhp} and metric (PS or CV} measures are similar but not identical, the latter being nearly 1.5 per cent smaller. but are often wrongly treated as interchangeable.