EVERYONE wants to know what the fastest car in the world is and here is a list of the cream of the crop.
It gives you a thorough guide as to the main contenders, talks you through the rest of the world’s fastest automobiles, and reveals the two main future potential holders of the most prestigious title in cars.
The list is based on top speed rather than acceleration. It doesn’t have an outright winner because not all speeds have been certified. If you were to go on certification alone the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport would be the fastest car in the world, but the makers of the Koenigsegg Agera R say it can go faster and claim they are just waiting to get its 439 km/h top speed certified. The world awaits…
Koenigsegg Agera R: 439 km/h
A lot of people will dispute the Agera R being given the title of ‘fastest car in the world’, as no official evidence has been produced to show the Agera R reaching 439 km/h. However, the tiny Swedish manufacturer insists the car is capable of that speed and it is expected to seek official certification from a body like the Guinness World Records soon. The Agera R can do 0-62mph(100kph) in an astonishing 2.9 seconds, and 0-300kph in 14.53seconds — which was a record for acceleration until the Hennessey Venom GT (below) did it in just 13.63 seconds in early 2013. The Agera R has a 5.0 liter V8 twin-turbo engine producing 1,140bhp and costs a meagre $1.6million.
Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: 430 km/h
The Veyron Super Sport broke the record for the world’s fastest production car on July 4 2010 on Volkswagen’s high-speed Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany, with the time verified by officials from Guinness World Records. It averaged the speed during laps in both directions of the oval track, as required by the rule book. The car sold to customers is electrically limited to 415kph to stop the tyres exploding — which has led to Bugatti’s official title being disputed in the past. In April 2013, its Guinness Record status was taken away because Guinness decided that the speed limiter meant it had been ‘modified’, which is not allowed under their definition of a ‘production car’. The Ultimate Aero TT (at the time the world’s second fastest car) at that point claimed the record. But just days later Guinness did a bizarre U-turn and decided limiting the top speed was not an actual modification as it “does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine”. Some may beg to differ with this, and we can see why. But anyway, the Super Sport’s official Guinness title of fastest car in the world holds today. It does 0-100 in 2.4 seconds, has an 8.0 liter W16 engine producing 1,200bhp and costs an astonishing $2,400,000.
Hennessey Venom GT: 427 km/h
As mentioned above, the Hennessey Venom holds the official Guinness World Record for the fastest production car to accelerate from 0-300 kph, doing it in just 13.63 seconds. On April 3 2013 the car reached a top speed of 427 kph at the US Naval Air Station in Leemore, California. The car was fitted with GPS speed-recording kit from respected data-logging firm VBOX, whose officials verified the time. The Hennessey GT’s top speed sits ahead of the Bugatti Veyron’s limited speed, so if you’re of the view that the limiter should be classed as a modification, the Hennessey is currently the fastest car in the world. It costs just $1million, and has a 7.0 liter V8 twin turbo engine producing 1,244bhp.
Porsche 9ff GT9-R: 413 km/h
The GT9-R is based on Porsche’s most successful car the 911. It can do 0-100 kph in 2.9 seconds and was designed specifically to take the title of fastest car in the world. It made its claim for the record by boasting a 413 kph top speed — only to have the Bugatti Veyron come along and rain on its parade before it could be officially verified. You’ve got to feel sorry for the guys who made it. The GT9-R has a heavily modified 4.0 liter flat 6 engine that produces up to 1,120 bhp. It costs from $695,000
SSC Ultimate Aero: 412 km/h
The SSC Ultimate Aero has twice been named the fastest car in the world. On September 13 2007 it clocked 412.28kph in West Richland, Washington, US, and had the speed verified by Guinness in October of that year. At the time the Bugatti Veyron’s top recorded speed was 408.3kph and the $695,000 Ultimate Aero held the fastest car in the world title for two years and nine months until Bugatti took the crown again when their Super Sport model reached 431.072. In April 2013 the record was given back to the SSC due to the controversy over the Super Sport’s speed limiter — but it only managed to hold on to it for a week before Guinness decided that the speed limiter wasn’t a modification after all and handed the record back to Bugatti. The Ultimate Aero has a 6.8 liter twin-turbo V8 engine producing 1,287bhp. SSC is set to release an XT version of the Ultimate Aero which they say is capable of doing 439 km/h, before winding up the model’s production. It will be replaced by the Tuatara, which SSC claim will have a top speed of 444 km/h.