A term used in automotive circles to describe a top speed of a car that is limited by the RPM of the engine. This means that at the top speed, there is still some engine power left to go faster, but the engine is currently at redline and going faster would risk engine damage. Rev limited top speeds usually occur in cars that have a high numerical rear-end ratio, like the muscle cars of old.

A car that has this characteristic will accelerate at a somewhat constant rate at full throttle up to the top speed. Then the driver is forced to let off the throttle a bit to avoid crossing redline in top gear. The presence of a tailwind or going downhill will do nothing to increase the top speed, as the engine is not power limited. The only way to increase a rev limited top speed is to lower the numerical value of the rear-end, or change the gearbox in the same way.

Compare to power limited top speed

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