You could argue the gearing theory, but since all 3 cars have similar powerbands, it's not as important for the powerband arguement.
I hate to get theoretical, but none of those cars is poorly designed, and none of them have poor gearing. There are only so many times you shift gears, and gearing makes a hell of a lot less difference after the 1/4 mile. This isn't a comparison between drag setups and street setups, these are all production cars. Now, I'm not saying these cars couldn't be toyed with to produce greater acceleration from one section of the results to another, but as much as you'd like to dismiss the numbers shown, I hardly think it's that easy to do.
I could have included other cars into the comparison, such as the 3200lb 345hp, 174mph C-5 Corvette tested, but I think the general rule has been shown.
As far as weight being a factor in top speed, you can apply physics. As long as there is ANY force being applied to an object, no matter how small that force eclipses the drag upon the object, it will accelerate. It will just accelerate slower. Using a human being in comparison to a car is a very poor example. Humans are not drag limited, we are gear limited, furthermore, do to the way our stride works, adding 50lbs throws off our center of balance, and our ability to run in stride.
If you'd like, I'd offer up the fact that the fastest my 88GT had ever gone was with 5 people in it. It took a long time to get there, but I think all the extra weight lowered the car and produced better aerodynamics.
Of course, ultimately, you may not have enough force to be able to accelerate a larger mass because of inconsistancies in the acceleration force, so weight can play a factor in a non controlled environment.
Of course, drag and hp are really the main factors, gearing plays into the hp part.
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