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There is one thing I can say, though. The author's conclusion is that horsepower is the determining factor in acceleration for any vehicle. But his final mathematical example (which seems sound enough in terms of accuracy) assumes two different engines in the same car, using the same transmission, same weight, same wheels, etc. This is just ridiculously unrealistic. That Honda F1 engine is mounted in a featherweight chassis with big meats that hit their wear bars every 50 miles. Meanwhile, the Cummins typically sees duty in something that would hardly spill the driver's coffee if he or she were to run over the F1 car. The application matters as much as the powerplant. Even when the same car has a few engine options, few of them go "opposite" in the hp and torque departments. When they do, as in the E30 and its M3, the transmission and final drive and wheels are different in order to optimize performance.
So, really, it isn't torque, horsepower, gearing, or tires that affect performance. It's everything. And it's also how the car makes you feel when you mash the gas.
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