There’s no feeling like driving fast.
When it comes to the automotive industry, breaking the record for high top speeds has been a celebrated feat, and that’s because in just about every car enthusiast, there’s an insatiable desire to go faster. With technology, innovation, and competition constantly getting more and more intense, the quest for higher top speeds has involved more amazing engineering and uncompromising innovation. Each new fastest car doesn’t just eclipse the rest, but also pushes the entire automotive industry forward with the innovation required to reach those speeds. These 10 unmodified cars all exemplify this dedication to speed and are certainly worthy of praise.
1) Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 304 Miles Per Hour
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport recently gained a crown as the fastest car in the world. Working with Dallara to optimize the aerodynamics, the latest Bugatti Chiron was clocked at 304.773 miles per hour at the Volkswagen proving grounds near Wolfsburg, Germany in August of 2019. It was a one-way run due to the track surface so ineligible for a world record.
2) SSC Tuatara: 295 Miles Per Hour
As the successor to their Ultimate Aero, Jerod Shelby (not related to Carroll) and his team needed more power. Knowing that a flat-plane V8 would easily rev to 9,000 rpm, they commissioned Nelson Racing Engines to build a 5.9-liter V8 by hand. Using Nelson’s patented Mirror-Image turbos, this American hypercar sends 1,750 horsepower and 1,280 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. A uni-directional run at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing facility saw the SSC Tuatara reach an incredible 295 mph.
3) Koenigsegg Agera RS: 277.87 Miles Per Hour
On a closed Nevada highway, Christian von Koenigsegg and company pushed their car into the history books. Their 2-way average of 277.87 spurred the innovation to design the Jesko for over 300 mph. Being one of the top 10 fastest cars in the world is definitely a badge that the Agera RS wears proudly.
4) Hennessey Venom GT: 270.49 Miles Per Hour
All too happy to see the Veyron fall, Texas-based-tuner-turned-manufacturer Hennessey says it Venom GT, based heavily on the Lotus Exige, is the new speed king, reaching 265.7 miles per hour in two miles, two fewer miles compared to the Veyron’s top-speed run. It accomplished this feat on February 9, 2013, at the Naval Air Station Lemoore in Lemoore, California, and it has a video to prove it. With Hennessey claiming its Venom GT produces 1,244 horsepower and weighs only 2,743 pounds, we have no reason to believe it isn’t true.
5) Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport: 267.86 Miles Per Hour
The Bugatti Veyron’s most potent iteration was the Super Sport, a hypercar boasting 1,183 horsepower, and the ability to reach nearly 268 mph, a feat that was verified by Guinness World Records in 2010.
6) Hennessey Venom GT Spyder: 265.6 Miles Per Hour
Certified by Racelogic, Hennessey set out to make the world’s fastest convertible, and with the incredible Spyder version of its Venom GT, the Texas performance powerhouse was able to reach an incredible 265.6 mph.
7) Bugatti Chiron: 261 Miles Per Hour
Serving as successor to the incredible Veyron, the Bugatti Chiron boasted incredible power and incredible speed, to the point where the car was electronically limited to 261 mph, a speed that is only even reachable in few situations.
8) SSC Ultimate Aero TT: 256.14 Miles Per Hour
With a twin-turbocharged, 6.3-liter V8 engine mounted amidships, and a scant weight of 2,756 pounds, this rocket from the 2000s was able to reach an incredible 256 mph, making it a certain rival of the Bugatti Veyron of the time.
9) Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse: 254 Miles Per Hour
The introduction of the Bugatti Veyron spurred a rivalry between many hypercars to be the world’s fastest. One of Bugatti’s contributions to this fierce competition that lasted throughout the 2000s and beyond was the Grand Sport Vitesse, the open-topped version of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which was able to reach a soaring 254 mph.
10) Bugatti Veyron: 253.8 Miles Per Hour
With its unmatched quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter W16 engine, all-wheel drive, stunning design, and engineering that has yet to be outdone in many aspects throughout the automotive industry, the original Bugatti Veyron and its 253-mph top speed rocked the automotive world and changed the definition of supercars and hypercars alike, sending shockwaves through the automotive performance world that are still being felt today.
Honorable Mention: Johnny Bomer’s Ford GT – 310.8 Miles Per Hour
While it didn’t make the list due to being modified, this Floridian speed junkie’s 2006 Ford GT is quite. an awe-inspiring achievement in engineering and sheer performance power. At the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch and Landing Facility, the car was able to reach an eye-watering speed of nearly 311 mph, and you can even see Bomer rowing manually through the gears, with one hand on the steering wheel at a soaring 266 mph.
We don’t intend to presume any examples of these are “affordable”. But they are all attainable if you want an incredibly fast production car. Click the button to find yours and stay with us for all your exotic car news.