Let’s be honest , there are a million and onward ways to measure car performance but nothing is such as exciting as ranking them according to their speed. Keeping this in mind, here are the current top five speed demons in the world that can legally sport a license plate.
1. Hennessey Venom GT. Unveiled earlier this month , the Venom is the fastest car in the world with a top speed of 435 km/h, thanks to a Lotus Elise chassis and a 7.0 litre, supercharged V8 engine. However , some car enthusiasts have cast doubt on the claim that it is the fastest car in the world because it hasn’t done a two-directional run (a requisite for the Guinness Book of World Records) and also because it is completely hand-built and should not therefore qualify as a production car.
2. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. A marvel of German precision and VW engineering , the Veyron Super Sport boasts a top speed of 431 km/h with a W16 engine producing 1,000 hp. The related Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitese holds the record of the world’s fastest open top car with a more leisurely top speed of 409 km/h.
3. SSC Ultimate Aero. VW owned Bugatti was dethroned in 2007 from its top speed perch by Shelby SuperCar (SSC). The Ultimate Aero blasted 412 km/h with a 6.3-litre, twin-turbocharged engine without any assisting electronics, making it the darling of old-school racing purists.
4. Koenigsegg CCR. Built by Koenigsegg , the Swedish supercar company, the CCR was the fastest car in the world until 2005 when it was dethroned by the first Bugatti Veyron. Even today, its 390 km/h generating, 4.7-litre, V8 engine, carbon fiber body and spartan use of electronic aids makes racing purists drool.
5. McLaren F1. Long considered the ultimate supercar, the McLaren F1 was built by a successful formula 1 racing team to recreate the same effects on everyday roadways. The car does 388 km/h with a 6.1-litre, BMW V12 engine and boast of a carbon fiber body and gold-lined engine bay.
By Tariq Ziad Khan