A
Auto Express
Guest
The Koenigsegg Agera RS is currently the world’s fastest production car, with an officially recognised top speed of 277.9mph. The record was set in 2017, breaking the previous record of 267.9mph, which was held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport since 2010. Bugatti managed to break the 300mph barrier with a modified Chiron in 2019 with a run of 304.774mph, but the car is not yet production ready. There's also new competition for top spot in the form of the American-made Hennessey Venom F5 and SSC Tuatara.
Engineers and racing drivers have targeted automotive speed records for many years and there are none bigger than the one that bestows the title of ‘fastest car in the world’. In the past, manufacturers which claimed to have the fastest production car in the world would also lay claim to the outright Land Speed Record. However, by the mid-20th Century, the two lists of record holders diverged as land speed record cars started to look like road-going rockets while production cars had to accommodate the need for passengers, luggage and a realistic price tag.
As technology advanced and vehicle ranges broadened, the pursuit of the world’s fastest production car title intensified. Early contenders include Mercedes and Jaguar, while Porsche and Ferrari have had an intra-brand rivalry lasting more than 50 years, interspersed with offerings from the usurper, Lamborghini.
In recent years, we’ve seen McLaren and Bugatti both stake a claim, while a number of niche hypercar manufacturers also continue to hunt for the production car record. Small scale competitors often make bold claims of record attempts to squeeze deposits out of wouldbe buyers but for every Devel Sixteen and 2,500bhp Dagger GT, there’s an SSC Ultimate Aero or a Hennessy Venom GT - cars that have put their money where their mouth is.
While it took seven years for the Agera RS to claim the Veyron Super Sport’s title, it’s unlikely to hold onto it for long as a number of cars, including the 1,578bhp Koenigsegg Jesko, the all-new 1,600bhp Hennessey Venom F5 and the 1,500bhp Bugatti Chiron are shooting for the 300mph barrier. The latter actually broke it with a 304.774mph run at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany in 2019, unfortunately the car will go into production in 2021 with a price-tag of around £3.1 million so it sadly doesn't count, for now.
Currently, tyres are the major limiting factor for production car top speed attempts, with Bugatti being forced to electronically limit the top speed of the Chiron to “just” 261mph for fear of a high-speed blow-out. However, technology has improved over the last five years, and Michelin is said to be developing rubber which can cope with 300mph-plus speeds.
This list provides the official rundown of the fastest production cars from the last 125 years of motoring.
World’s fastest cars: a history
The world’s first recognised car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen built in 1898, opens our list with a top speed of 12mph. Little more than half a century later, in 1949, Jaguar had raised these stakes by a factor of ten, with the Jaguar XK120.
The fifties were a hard-fought battle between Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and the Aston Martin DB4 GT, both of which were capable of speeds in excess of 150mph. The sixties followed, and with them a flurry of title changes between a range of Italian marques. The Iso Grifo set the tone in 1963, with a 161mph top speed.
A newcomer, the Anglo-American-built AC Cobra briefly stole the crown in 1965, only to be subsequently beaten by the Lamborghini Miura, the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 and the Miura P400S between 1967 and 1969.
Thirteen years passed before Lamborghini managed to top its own record with the Countach, marking the first production car to pass the 180mph barrier. In 1983, German Porsche tuner RUF offered the 190mph BTR, while Porsche’s own supercar, the 959, hit 198mph in 1986.
• Best hypercars
Ferrari built the world’s first production car to pass the 200mph barrier in 1987, with the 472bhp F40. Once the nineties rolled around, the McLaren F1 upped the stakes again with a top speed of 221mph, although F1s without rev-limiters have clocked 240mph runs. To this day, the McLaren F1 remains the fastest naturally aspirated car ever built.
The Koenigsegg CCR’s short-lived time as the fastest production car in the world began in February 2005, where it reached 241mph at Italy’s Nardo Ring. Just two months later the Bugatti Veyron broke through the 250mph barrier and took the crown with a speed of 253.8mph.
Over the last few years, Bugatti and Koenigsegg have fought for single-digit victories with a range of lesser-known challengers such as the American supercar manufacturers, SSC and Hennessey. Currently, the title of “world’s fastest production car” goes to the 1,341bhp Koenigsegg Agera RS, which set a speed of 277.87mph in 2017.
Check out our world’s fastest car timeline below...
Find out about the current crop of 200mph heroes in or top 10 fastest cars on sale...
Continue reading...
Engineers and racing drivers have targeted automotive speed records for many years and there are none bigger than the one that bestows the title of ‘fastest car in the world’. In the past, manufacturers which claimed to have the fastest production car in the world would also lay claim to the outright Land Speed Record. However, by the mid-20th Century, the two lists of record holders diverged as land speed record cars started to look like road-going rockets while production cars had to accommodate the need for passengers, luggage and a realistic price tag.
As technology advanced and vehicle ranges broadened, the pursuit of the world’s fastest production car title intensified. Early contenders include Mercedes and Jaguar, while Porsche and Ferrari have had an intra-brand rivalry lasting more than 50 years, interspersed with offerings from the usurper, Lamborghini.
In recent years, we’ve seen McLaren and Bugatti both stake a claim, while a number of niche hypercar manufacturers also continue to hunt for the production car record. Small scale competitors often make bold claims of record attempts to squeeze deposits out of wouldbe buyers but for every Devel Sixteen and 2,500bhp Dagger GT, there’s an SSC Ultimate Aero or a Hennessy Venom GT - cars that have put their money where their mouth is.
While it took seven years for the Agera RS to claim the Veyron Super Sport’s title, it’s unlikely to hold onto it for long as a number of cars, including the 1,578bhp Koenigsegg Jesko, the all-new 1,600bhp Hennessey Venom F5 and the 1,500bhp Bugatti Chiron are shooting for the 300mph barrier. The latter actually broke it with a 304.774mph run at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany in 2019, unfortunately the car will go into production in 2021 with a price-tag of around £3.1 million so it sadly doesn't count, for now.
Currently, tyres are the major limiting factor for production car top speed attempts, with Bugatti being forced to electronically limit the top speed of the Chiron to “just” 261mph for fear of a high-speed blow-out. However, technology has improved over the last five years, and Michelin is said to be developing rubber which can cope with 300mph-plus speeds.
This list provides the official rundown of the fastest production cars from the last 125 years of motoring.
World’s fastest cars: a history
The world’s first recognised car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen built in 1898, opens our list with a top speed of 12mph. Little more than half a century later, in 1949, Jaguar had raised these stakes by a factor of ten, with the Jaguar XK120.
The fifties were a hard-fought battle between Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and the Aston Martin DB4 GT, both of which were capable of speeds in excess of 150mph. The sixties followed, and with them a flurry of title changes between a range of Italian marques. The Iso Grifo set the tone in 1963, with a 161mph top speed.
A newcomer, the Anglo-American-built AC Cobra briefly stole the crown in 1965, only to be subsequently beaten by the Lamborghini Miura, the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 and the Miura P400S between 1967 and 1969.
Thirteen years passed before Lamborghini managed to top its own record with the Countach, marking the first production car to pass the 180mph barrier. In 1983, German Porsche tuner RUF offered the 190mph BTR, while Porsche’s own supercar, the 959, hit 198mph in 1986.
• Best hypercars
Ferrari built the world’s first production car to pass the 200mph barrier in 1987, with the 472bhp F40. Once the nineties rolled around, the McLaren F1 upped the stakes again with a top speed of 221mph, although F1s without rev-limiters have clocked 240mph runs. To this day, the McLaren F1 remains the fastest naturally aspirated car ever built.
The Koenigsegg CCR’s short-lived time as the fastest production car in the world began in February 2005, where it reached 241mph at Italy’s Nardo Ring. Just two months later the Bugatti Veyron broke through the 250mph barrier and took the crown with a speed of 253.8mph.
Over the last few years, Bugatti and Koenigsegg have fought for single-digit victories with a range of lesser-known challengers such as the American supercar manufacturers, SSC and Hennessey. Currently, the title of “world’s fastest production car” goes to the 1,341bhp Koenigsegg Agera RS, which set a speed of 277.87mph in 2017.
Check out our world’s fastest car timeline below...
Year | Make and model | Top speed (mph) |
| 1894 | Benz Velo | 12 |
| 1949 | Jaguar XK120 | 124.6 |
| 1955 | Mercedes 300SL Gullwing | 150.7 |
| 1959 | Aston Martin DB4 GT | 152 |
| 1963 | Iso Grifo GL 365 | 161 |
| 1967 | AC Cobra MkIII | 165 |
| 1968 | Lamborghini Miura P400 | 171 |
| 1968 | Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona | 174 |
| 1969 | Lamborghini Miura P400S | 179 |
| 1982, 84 | Lamborghini Countach | 182.0, 188.0 |
| 1984 | Ferrari 288 GTO | 188 |
| 1986 | Porsche 959 | 197 |
| 1987 | Ferrari F40 | 202.7 |
| 1995 | Ruf CTR2 | 217 |
| 1998 | McLaren F1 | 221 |
| 2005 | Koenigsegg CCR | 241 |
| 2005 | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | 253.8 |
| 2007 | SSC Ultimate Aero TT | 256.1 |
| 2010 | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport | 267.9 |
| 2017 | Koenigsegg Agera RS | 277.9 |
Find out about the current crop of 200mph heroes in or top 10 fastest cars on sale...
Continue reading...