Speed matters, especially when it comes to the fastest cars in the world.
29 Aug 2016 | 28702 Views | By Phill Tromans, Autocar UK
Speed matters, especially when it comes to the fastest cars in the world.
If the lottery win comes in, many of us will be heading to the showroom that boasts the cars with the biggest top velocities. Ultimate seat comfort, or the finest cupholders in existence, are rather less of a draw.
Admittedly, we might not actually hit the speeds that modern hypercars are capable of. Anything over 110kph is generally considered illegal in many parts of the world. Anything over about 290kph is terrifying. But like owning a watch that works on the moon, or a pen that can write at 200 metres under the sea, it’s nice to know that, in theory, your car can perform kilometre-per-hour miracles.
With that in mind, here are the fastest production road cars you can get your hands on today. Well, theoretically – getting hold of a new one is not as straight-forward as you might think.
We have ummed and aahed about including the Chiron on this list, as it’s not been seen at speed yet, and even if you can afford the £1.9 million (Rs 16.7 crore) asking price, you won’t see your car until 2017 at the earliest.
But there is little reason to doubt Bugatti’s credentials after the success of the Veyron. The Chiron will be limited to 420kph / 261mph at launch, which suggests it will easily go faster further down the line.
With the best part of 1500bhp to play with, and driving dynamics that insiders say dramatically improve on the Veyron, it’s surely at the top of the discerning speed merchant’s list.
Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg has been quietly and earnestly churning out massively fast monsters for decades, but the Regera adds a touch of luxury missing from previous machines.
It’s still an absolute barnstormer though, with a hybrid powertrain containing a twin-turbo, 5.0-litre V8 and three electric motors, which combine to produce more than 1500bhp. Although a top speed hasn’t been revealed, Koenigsegg reckons it will hit 399kph / 248mph in 20 seconds. So, at least, that.
Revealed at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the TS1 is an evolution of the stylish, fast but somewhat fire-plagued ST1, which found fame on Top Gear for all the wrong reasons.
Electronically limited to 233mph, it’s available to order now from the Danish hypercar manufacturer, and is powered by a twin-supercharged, 5.9-litre V8 with 1085bhp. This one will hopefully be less flammable in its tendencies.
Hewn from carbon fibre in deepest, darkest Leicestershire, the M600 is powered by a 4.4-litre Judd V8 with a mere 650bhp – puny compared with some of its rivals. But it’s old school, lightweight, without so much as ABS to sully its purity, and it’s exceedingly fast.
Autocar UK reviewer Matt Prior used words like “astounding”, “wild,” and “incredible” for the hand-built British supercar, even if the lack of ABS actually scared him a bit.
The top speed for all Aventador models is identical, so although the super-mental SV variant is sold out, you can top out at just the same velocity in the standard and still-quite-insane model. A naturally aspirated, 690bhp 6.5-litre V12 does all the necessary thrusting to get you up to 349kph / 217mph with all the drama that Italy can muster.
British manufacturer Keating built a TKR that hit 418kph / 260mph a few years ago, so it has form for making very fast cars. However, the more recent Keating Bolt garnered quite a bit of negative press for quality and out of date technology.
The Berus is a project that promises big things, chiefly 2000bhp, but it currently exists only as a half scale model. We may see something more tangible in 2017, but we’re not holding our breath.
Development on the Ultimate Aero’s successor appears to have stalled, with no media updates from SSC since 2013.
As fast as it is, it’s a heavily modified Lotus rather than its own thing. In our humble opinion.
Very fast. Very exclusive. Very sold out.
Wild. Styled. £1.7 million each. Also sold out.
British manufacturing at its finest. 375 made. And they’ve all gone.
Part of the great hypercar trio of 2014, just as fast as the P1 and with a much sillier name. And guess what? It’s sold out. Sorry.
Missed the coupé LaFerrari? Great news! The new, yet-to-be driven Spider removes the roof, but keeps… oh wait, it’s sold out too.
The F12 Berlinetta clearly wasn’t insane enough for Ferrari’s bigwigs, so they decreed that it be given a power boost from 730bhp to 770bhp, and a suffix taken from the old Tour de France road race (for cars, not bikes).
The result is an absolute lunatic, with a 6.3-litre V12 up front and power delivered the rear, with a deliriously happy driver sitting in between.
Completes the hypercar trio by also being sold out.
Like all internet lists, this one will be subject to controversy. Why haven’t we included your favourites? So many reasons. Largely because you can’t buy them any more, unless you go into the used market, and there are numerous small-volume cars that promise massive speeds, but we haven’t seen them yet proven.
Source: Autocar UK