A model for a motor vehicles' tractive power as a function of the speed, the rolling resistance on their wheels, and the air's aerodynamic drag force, is proposed. Based on both nominal top power and top speed data of 155 vehicles, an empiric test for this model is presented, and corroborates the assumption that the top power is related to the cube of the top speed.
tractive power; vehicle top speed; rolling resistance; air's drag force
