The 10 fastest cars in the world is the Hennessey Venom GT — which reached 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h) on the Space Shuttle runway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 14, 2014.
1.Hennessey Venom GT : 270.49 mph
As well as being the fastest car on the planet, the Hennessey Venom GT holds the official Guinness World Record for the fastest production car to accelerate from 0-300km/h (0-186mph), doing it in a staggering 13.63 seconds. It has an equivalently staggering price tag, costing around $1million.
It features a 7.0 liter V8 twin turbo engine producing 1,244bhp. Just 29 Venom GTs have been built, another reason why the car can’t make it into the Guinness record books. For a vehicle to class as a ‘production car’ under Guinness rules you have to make at least 30.
2.Bugatti Veyron Super Sport :Â 268 mph
The Veyron Super Sport broke the official record for the world’s fastest car on July 4 2010 at 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 Guinness rule book. The car sold to customers is electrically limited to 258mph (415km/h) 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’.
At that point the Ultimate Aero TT (then the world’s second fastest car) 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 engineâ€.
Some may beg to differ. But despite that, and despite the fact that the Hennessy Venom GT has done over 270mph, the Veyron Super Sport’s official Guinness title of being the fastest car in the world holds today. The Super Sport does 0-60 in 2.4 seconds, has an 8.0 liter W16 engine producing 1,200bhp and costs an astonishing $2.4million.
3.Koenigsegg Agera R : 260 mph
The Agera R is said to have a theoretical top speed of 273mph — but this has never been demonstrated. It is supplied with tyres which can be used at speeds up to 260mph (420 km/h).
The Swedish manufacturer’s offering can do 0-62mph(100km/h) in 2.9 seconds, 0-200mph in 17.68seconds and 0-300km/h 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.
4. SSC Ultimate Aero : 257 mph
Briefly, the might of the Volkswagen Group and the prestige of the Bugatti name were bested by a car company no one had ever heard of.
Shelby SuperCars (SSC) has nothing to do with Carroll Shelby of Cobra fame, but for a moment its Ultimate Aero was the fastest car in the world. It hit 256 mph in 2007, beating the non-Super Sport version of the Veyron.
Helping it achieve that velocity is a 6.3-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 1,287 hp. There are no electronic driver aids to help control that power either, creating a purer driving experience for those with talent, and a scenario for certain death for those without it.
5.9ff GT9-R :Â 257 mph
Built by the German tuning company, 9ff, the GT9 is a supercar based on the historic Porsche 911. In fact, the looks and exterior styling of the car is also pretty similar to the 911, only with the interior of the car being stripped out for lightness and looks basic as compared to the Porsche. The car is faster than the original Bugatti Veyron, but slower than the SuperSport model.
Regardless, the GT9-R is purely a beast on the roads and comes equipped with a rather unique technology. It is fitted and modified with a 4.0-Liter Flat 6 Engine (six cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of three cylinders) which enables the vehicle to produce an impressive horsepower of 1,120 and torque of 910 lb-ft.
This massive engine enables the vehicle to reach top speeds of 257 mph and also gives it the ability speed from zero to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and accelerate from halt to 190 mph in under 16 seconds. The makers of the GT9-R have ensured no two vehicles manufactured are alike and offers potential owners with the option of customizing or personalizing their vehicles to their liking when it comes to design, color, and performance.
6.Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo :Â 248 mph
The Saleen boasts a 7.0 liter twin-turbo aluminium V8 engine producing 750horsepower. It was produced from 2005 to 2009 and cost from $585,000. It does 0-60mph (0-97km/h) in 2.8seconds.
7. Koenigsegg CCX :Â 245 mph
Featuring an all-aluminium 4.7 liter twin-supercharged V8 engine producing 806 horsepower, the Koenigsegg CCX can do O-62mph in 3.2seconds. Racing models of the CCX and CCXR, known as the Edition models, are fitted with roll bars and have a more racy 4.8 liter engine producing 1,004hp, allowing the car to do 0-62mph in 2.9seconds and reach a claimed top speed of 249mph (400km/h).
The Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita is the world’s most expensive street-legal car, costing $4.85million. The normal version of the CCX starts at around $545,000.
8.McLaren F1 :Â 240 mph
The F1 is more than just a former world’s fastest car. With its carbon-fiber body, gold-lined engine bay, 6.1-liter BMW M V12, and center driver’s seat, it just might be the coolest car ever made.
Years before it attempted to take on Ferrari and Porsche with the MP4-12C, McLaren was known only as a successful race team in Formula 1 and the defunct Can-Am series. Yet its first road car wasn’t exactly an amateur effort.
McLaren intended to make the F1 the ultimate road-going supercar, but its design was informed by the company’s racing experience. The F1 even went on to a fairly successful racing career in its own right, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995
9.Zenvo ST1 :Â 233 mph
Manufactured by the Danish company Zenvo, the ST 1 is a high-performance supercar hand-made by a small team of workers. It is the company’s first ever supercar model and was introduced back in 2009. The vehicle easily dishes out a max speed of 233 mph and has the ability to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in a mere 3 seconds.
It comes equipped with a 6.8-Liter V8 Engine and generates an impressive horsepower of 1,104 and torque of 1,050 lb-ft, enabling the vehicle to reach 0 to 200 mph in only 8.9 seconds.
10. Pagani Huayra : 230 mph
The Pagani Huayra comes from Italy, like so many record-setting cars before it. Though Pagani has only been established since 1992, the company quickly gained a reputation among motorsports enthusiasts, both for its amazing cars and its gift for working with carbon fiber — the strong, lightweight, expensive material that’s become one of the go-to composites for six- and even seven-figure vehicles. In fact, the company’s founder, Argentinian Horacio Pagani, formerly managed composite materials for Lamborghini. The Huayra was introduced in 2011. It’s powered by a twin-turbo, 6-liter, V-12 engine borrowed from Mercedes-Benz, and the Huayra is known for its track prowess as well as its speed in a straight line. There was a bit of drama in February of 2013, when the Huayra broke the record for the lap time on the test track at the television show “Top Gear” and was promptly accused of using illegal tires, but the smoke cleared and the “Top Gear” record stood. It’s not the Guinness Book record for the fastest top speed, of course, but the Huayra can obviously excel in different environments, and we do love a multitasker.
