Despite what my high school algebra teacher might have told you about my math skills, I've always been a little bit of a stats geek. I grew up organizing my baseball cards by batting average and ERA, before falling into the wonderful, nerdy arms of the Strat-O-Matic corporation (I'm offering a virtual high-five to those of you that know what that means without having to click the link).

These days, of course, my predilection to sorting by numbers often runs to the world of the automobile, where statistics are plentiful and often meaningful for real-world application. As usable objects, cars are suffused with subjective qualities that inflect heavily on their objective data points, but that doesn't mean number-crunching can't lead to some interesting results.

An excellent case in point is the relationship between a vehicle's curb weight and its power and torque outputs. The oft-referenced power-to-weight ratio has always made more sense to me when expressed as weight-to-power, where I can see exactly how many pounds each horsepower (or pound-foot of torque) is being asked to lug, which is why you'll find the numbers below in the pounds-to-horsepower format. In any event, the ratio represents a single number that affects a vehicle on a number of dynamic fronts. And it makes for great bar trivia, especially when new, very powerful cars like the Dodge Challenger SRT "Hellcat," or very light ones like the Alfa Romeo 4C get thrown into the mix.

Of course, the very lightest and most powerful cars are generally the most expensive, too. But what does the "performance car" space look like if we set some price caps? It bears noting here that this list doesn't include trucks, SUVs or crossovers, and we attempted to pick from the most performance-oriented products on sale (or nearly on sale). Let's start low, and build up.

Under $25,000 – pounds per horsepower

1. 2014 Ford Mustang V6 ($22,510) – 11.479
2. 2014 Chevrolet Camaro V6 ($23,555) – 11.514
3. 2014 Ford Focus ST ($23,625) – 12.790
4. 2014 Ford Fiesta ST ($21,400) – 13.807
5. 2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec ($21,300) – 13.930
6. 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI 4-Door ($24,995) – 14.152
7. 2014 Mini Cooper S Hardtop ($24,100) – 14.603
8. 2014 Honda Civic Si ($22,790) – 14.644
9. 2014 Mazda MX-5 Miata ($23,790) – 14.850
10. 2015 Volkswagen Jetta GLI ($24,535) – 14.910

When Ford and Chevrolet kicked off the latest generation of V6s for their respective pony cars, the last vestiges of the sophomoric "secretary's car" label should have died at the same time. Both over 300 horsepower in 2014-model-year trim, the most basic Mustang and Camaro are very clearly more poised for high performance than at any time in history. With a 218-pound advantage on the Chevy, the Mustang V6 still nets a lower lbs/hp number despite the GM car offering 18 more ponies.

A small measure of the Mazda MX-5 Miata's magic formula can be seen by its inclusion in the top ten at this price point. The Mazda is the lightest rear-wheel-drive car you'll find here.

Moving back to the top, where you'll find every one of our price categories is heavily represented by the Blue Oval, I'm happy to report a pair of ST models. The Fiesta ST is good enough that it might actually win a straw poll amongst Autoblog staffers to upset the Miata as our favorite car to drive on this list overall, though the numbers do bear out that its bigger brother outguns it on the scales.

Notable exclusions here include the Subaru WRX (12.190) and Scion FR-S (13.790)/Subaru BRZ (13.810), all of which just miss the $25k price cap. Also, those looking for the Mazdaspeed3 will be sad to note that 2013 was its final (for now) model year.

Under $50,000 – pounds per horsepower

1. 014 Ford Mustang GT ($31,210) – 8.614
2. 014 Dodge Challenger SRT ($40,485) – 9.002
3. 014 Chevrolet Camaro SS ($34,350) – 9.174
4. 014 Dodge Charger SRT ($44,385) – 9.272
5. 014 Chevrolet SS ($43,475) – 9.578
6. 014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG ($48,375) – 9.842
7. 014 Nissan 370Z ($29,990) – 9.873
8. 014 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec ($47,400) – 9.883
9. 014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec ($29,350) – 10.328
10. 014 Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design ($42,700) – 10.855

$50,000 is a really interesting cutoff point, as it turns out. For starters, while no one should be surprised to see the historically great V8 pony cars at the top of the charts here, note also that the Mustang GT and the Camaro SS start about $19k and $16k under the max-money cap. If there is a single best bang-for-buck car on sale in the US today, you'd be hard pressed to pick better than the 'Stang or Camaro.

As of right now we know the weight (3,704 pounds) and price ($32,100) for the 2015 Mustang GT, too, but we don't know the power. Ford has only indicated that it would be some amount better than the current 5.0's 420 hp. If you assume a very modest, say 5-hp gain in power for the '15 car, it would net out at 8.715-pounds per horse, still enough to lead this class. A jump up to 430 hp would be required to match the ratio of the outgoing car, however. Fingers crossed.

I was a bit surprised to see the Volvo S60 sneak in here – proof of that car's being a pretty solid performance bargain for the luxury compact class.

The featherweight Alfa Romeo 4C would have just snuck into this group (10th place with a figure of 10.401 pounds per horsepower), if only it were a bit cheaper. The starting sticker of $53,900 may help pay for the carbon fiber tub, but it also kicks the Italian off the list.

Under $100,000 – pounds per horsepower

1. 2014 Ford Shelby GT500 ($55,110) – 5.808
2. 2014 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe ($99,000) – 6.615
3. 2014 Chevy Camaro ZL1 ($55,355) – 7.103
4. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray ($53,000) – 7.248
5. 2014 Jaguar F-Type S ($92,000)– 7.416
6. 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 ($72,300) **– 7.564
7. 2014 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe ($64,900) – 7.585
8. 2014 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan ($64,900)– 7.590
9. 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S ($99,770)– 7.697
10. 2014 Porsche 911 Carrera S ($98,900) – 7.688

For prices approaching six-figures, the weight-to-power ratios you see here obviously get a lot more impressive. It's also impressive that, by the book at least, Ford takes another top spot for a three-out-of-three sweep of our price points.

There's no doubt that the 662-horsepower Shelby GT500 (2013 model pictured above) is an impressive beast, however, some might quibble with its inclusion here. For starters, the car is sold out and to compound that, there's a good chance that many of the examples were marked up beyond its impressive $55,110 MSRP (though I'd guess most stayed under the $100,000 cap). Still, my hat is off to you, King Mustang.

The GM power players – ZL1, Corvette and CTS-Vs – a pair of Jaguars, and our lone Porsche (most killed off by their price tags on the lists above) round out a very compelling group of cars.

But yesterday's news out of Dodge begs the question: where would the devilish, 707-horsepower Challenger Hellcat come to rest within this group (assuming that Dodge keeps it under six-figures, which I do)? The truth is that I don't know, as the weight of the car is still unclear, but we can make some educated guesses.

If the Hellcat ends up tipping the scales with the same heft as the 2014 Challenger SRT 392, that's 4,231 pounds, it would still finish just below the Mustang GT500 with 5.984 pounds per pony. In fact, the Hellcat would have to lose more than a hundred pounds versus the existing car to best the Mustang. With that said, when the 2015 model year comes around in earnest, there's little doubt that the Challenger Hellcat will reign in the sub-$100k category.

Horsepower may steal a lot of headlines, but the always-more-complex torque figure is often a critical one for both the workingman and the motoring playboy. The measure of rotational force is a function of horsepower and engine rpm, and it's also the twist that can liquefy one's tires or haul one's horse trailer. Good stuff

It follows then, that as with the horsepower-to-weight list (above), a list of cars that offer the most pound-feet with the fewest pounds to carry, is an interesting one to break down. Sure, there's a big difference in how the torque is applied from a turbocharged six-cylinder in a Swedish luxury sedan and a massive heavy-duty truck's turbo-diesel. But being the car/stat geeks that we are, we think it's kinda neat that those two vehicles rank near each other where torque and weight intersect.

As with the horsepower list, we've given you figures as pounds per every one pound-foot. Again broken down into broad price categories, we've got a mixed bag of 2014 and 2015 models here, too. Every effort has been made to select the most up-to-date prices and specs, and we've also to omitted some '14 cars that won't be re-upped after the ongoing yearly changeover.

Under $25,000 – Pounds Per Pound-Foot
2015 Volkswagen GTI ($24,995) – 11.519
2014 Ford Focus ST ($23,625) – 11.937
2015 Ford Mustang V6 ($23,600) – 12.593
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI ($21,995) – 13.051
2014 Mini Cooper S Hardtop ($24,100) – 13.333
2015 Chevy Camaro V6 ($23,705) – 13.378
2014 Ford Fiesta ST ($21,400) – 13.465
2015 Volkswagen Beetle TDI ($24,595) – 13.517
2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI ($21,295) – 13.73
2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec ($21,600) – 14.359

The top ten torque-per-pound cars make one thing abundantly clear: turbos rule the roost in this exercise. It's no surprise then that Volkswagen, with a practically all-turbo lineup these days, both gasoline fed and diesel, pulls a full four spots. The new GTI cranks out 258 lb-ft of torque to pull around its 2,972 pounds, allowing it to just hold of the more powerful (270 lb-ft) but heavier (3,223) Ford Focus ST. No one should be surprised to see the Pony Cars here, either, after their dominant showing on the horsepower list. In fact, only its sticker price of $170 over the $25k price cap kept the new Mustang 2.3-liter EcoBoost from dominating this group (at 11.013 pounds per pound-foot). Some might see that as a moral victory for Ford.

Under $50,000 – Pounds Per Pound-Foot

2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty ($39,525) – 7.662
2015 Chevy Sliverado 3500HD ($42,000) – 8.596
2014 Ram 3500 ($39,070) *– 8.631
2015 Chevy Spark EV ($27,645) – 8.765
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT 392 ($45,995) – 8.907
2014 Ram 2500 ($38,295) – 9.095
2015 Ford Mustang GT ($32,100) – 9.263
2014 Dodge Charger SRT ($47,385) – 9.272
2015 Chevy Camaro SS ($34,500) – 9.305
2014 Chevy SS ($43,475) – 9.578
2015 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design ($43,550) – 9.966

...Followed by the actual victory for Ford. And kind of a big one. In F-250 trim, powered by the stonking 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel, and in skinny rear-wheel-drive/single-rear-wheel trim, Ford's Super Duty is an impressive truck. With 860 pound-feet pushing around just 6,589 pounds of F-Series is not only good enough for the top spot on the under-$50k list, but it would also rank as the eighth best on the under-$100k list, below (for the sake of variety, we left it off the more expensive group, however).

It's no surprise that two more HD pickups follow, both with torque outputs that dwarf average vehicles, and both similarly spec'd out in the lightest possible of near-endless configurations. Chevy puts its 765-lb-ft diesel into the relatively lightweight Silverado 2500 HD (insert GMC Sierra HD here if you like, as they have the same specs), with its most-svelte configuration ringing up at 6,576 pounds. Compare that to the second-place Ram's 7,466 pounds (nearly mitigated by the heroic 865-lb-ft output of its Cummins straight-six).

Any way you slice it, the under fifty-grand segment is ruled by American manufacturers, who take the top nine of ten ten out of eleven (after our edit) spots. Oh, the 2015 Mustang GT says "hello" here, too.

Under $100,000 – Pounds Per Pound-Foot

2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 ($78,995) – 5.422
2015 Dodge Viper SRT ($84,995) – 5.650
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat ($59,995)– 6.279
2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray ($59,995) – 7.170
2014 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe ($99,000) – 7.247
2015 Chevy Camaro ZL1 ($55,505) – 7.410
2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 S AMG ($99,770) *– 7.510
2015 Chevy Camaro Z/28 ($75,000) – 7.942
2014 Jaguar F-Type S V8 Convertible ($92,000) – 7.980
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG – ($99,500) – 8.202

Finally, in the top-dollar category we see a list that has been changed rather impressively with model-year-2015 action. Now that all the specs and pricing is in on the Corvette Z06, it has one more statistic to recommend it as one of the greatest performance-per-dollar cars ever. At just under $79k, it's right in the middle of this top ten in terms of price, and yet only the Viper comes close to it in terms of torque per pound. That Viper is a happy edition, too. When we sorted the horsepower figures last time we were forced to omit the snake because of its MSRP; one price drop later, and the SRT coupe is second-banana of a very hard-to-crack group. The Mopar boys take two of the top three spots, in fact, thanks to the monumental twist of that supercharged Hellcat Hemi. What's more, if the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat had official pricing (a lock to be well under $100k), it would be number four here.

A brace of Jaguar F-Types and AMG Mercedes throw a dash of European culture into the top torque group, but a glance will tell you that these are Chevy's stomping grounds. Corvettes, Camaros, baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and epic torque-to-weight – we heard something like that on TV once...

UPDATE: Somehow, while sorting through the ranks of muscle cars and diesel trucks, we managed to overlook the Chevy Spark EV, which, at 2,866 pounds with 327 lb-ft of torque, should come out to fourth place on the list of cars under $50k.