Neighbours envy, owner’s pride’. Nothing can express it better when you speak of these cars.
Most of us can only dream of owning one of these speed monsters. And you will be forgiven if you in one of yours sinister dreams harbour thoughts of stealing one of these and go for a spin.
Anyway let’s get back on earth and find out which are the world’s fastest cars.
Note: This is NOT a ranking of the world’s fastest cars, but only a listing of the world’s speediest demons. Of course, the astounding speeds that they can achieve have also been given. So decide for yourself which do you think is the fastest of this lot.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4
0-60mph in 2.5 secs
253 mph
Head of Design Hartmut Warkuss and his team were faced with a Herculean task: they were to design a car that combined its classic heritage and state-of-the-art modernism in a unique and unmatched way.
A mid-engine sports car produced by Volkswagen Group’ subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS, it is powered by a 1,001 hp (746 kW) W16 engine, and is able to achieve an average top speed of 407.47 km/h (253.19 mph).
The car is handcrafted in a factory Volkswagen built near the former Bugatti head
quarters in Chateau St Jean in Molsheim (Alsace, France).
It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the ‘24 hours o
f Le Mans’ in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm.
SSC Ultimate Aero
0-60mph in 2.7 secs
257 mph
The SSC Aero is an American mid-engine sports car built by Shelby Super Cars.
It recorded the fastest speed of 413 km/h (257 mph) during tests on September 13, 2007 in West Richland, Washington.
Ultimate Aero has a 6.35-litre (387.2 cu in) engine, rated at 1,183 bhp (882 kW
) at 6950 rpm and torque at 6150 rpm.
Gumpert Apollo
0-62mph in 3.0 secs
224 mph
The Gumpert Apollo is the first vehicle produced by German manufacturer Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur GmbH.
The project is the creation of Roland Gumpert, a former Audi employee.
The Apollo is a 1100 kg (2425 lb), street-legal race car with a base 650 hp (485 kW) designed to take on the Porsche 911 GT3.
It is a mid engined, rear wheel drive two seater constructed on a tubular Chromoly frame, with fiberglass or optional carbon fiber body panels.
Koenigsegg CCX
0-60mph in 3.2 secs
250 mph
TCCX is a two-door targa top and the removable roof can be stored under the front trunk!
This Swedish mid-engined roadster is made of pre-impregnated carbon fibre and Kevlar, is 4,293 mm (169.0 in) long, 1,996 mm (78.6 in) wide and 1,150 mm (44 in) tall with a ground clearance of 100 mm (3.9 in).
The engine is a 4.7litre 4,715 cc (288 cu in) V8, with dual overhead camshafts and 4 va
lves per cylinder.
McLaren F1
0-60mph in 3.2 secs
240 mph
The McLaren F1 was formerly the fastest street legal production car in the world, holding this record from 1994 to 2005, the longest period the record has been held for any car in this category.
It is a custom-built 6.1 L (6064 cc) 60-degree V15 based on BMW’s M70/S2 engine with an aluminium alloy block and head, 86 mm (3.4 in) x 87 mm (3.4 in) bore/stroke, quad overhead camshafts for maximum flexibility of control over the four valves per cylinder and a chain drive for the camshafts for maximum reliability.
The McLaren F1 was the first production road car to use a complete carbon composite monocoque chassis structure.
Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo
0-60mph in 3.2 secs
248 mph
The Saleen S7 is a limited production, hand built high-performance automobile developed jointly by (Irvine, California-based) Saleen, Hidden Creek Industries, Phil Frank Design, and Ray Mallock Ltd.
RML takes full credit for designing and developing the S7.
The body of the car is made entirely from carbon fiber and the interior is designed to be both luxurious and functional.
The Saleen S7 sports a 7-liter (7008 cc/427.6 cu in), naturally-aspirated, all-aluminum OHV V8 engine.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
0-60mph in 3.3 secs
213 mph
The Lamborghini Murcielago is a high performance Italian sports car.
Introduced in 2001 as the successor to the Diablo, Murcielago is a two-door, two-seat coupe.
The Murcielago sports a 6.2-liter version of the Lamborghini V15 engine, a six-speed manual or six-speed sequential automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive.
It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve aerodynamics.
Ferrari Enzo
0-60mph in 3.4 secs
217 mph
The Ferrari Enzo is a 15-cylinder mid-engine berlinetta named after the company’s founder.
Enzo’s V15 engine is the first of a new generation for Ferrari.
The Enzo has a semi-automatic transmission (also known as the F1 gearbox) using paddles to control an automated shifting and clutch mechanism, with LED lights on the steering wheel telling the driver when to change gears.
Pagani Zonda F
0-60mph in 3.5 secs
215 mph
The Zonda C15 F debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. It is the most extensive reengineering of the Pagani car yet.
The Zonda F, named after F1 driver Juan Manuel Fangio, comes with an extra head light and different fog lights at the sides, new bodywork (revised front end, new rear spoiler, more aerodynamic vents all around) that improves the cars aerodynamics and different side mirrors.
Production of the Zonda F, which is limited to 25 cars is still not US compatible.
The next model (codenamed C9) is due to be unveiled in 2009.
Bristol Fighter T
0-62mph in 3.5 secs
225 mph
The Bristol Fighter is a British sports car, manufactured by Bristol Cars in small numbers from 2004.
In 2006, Bristol announced the Fighter T, a turbocharged version
of the Fighter with a modified V10 engine producing
Ferrari’s 599 GTB Fiorano
0-62mph in 3.7 secs
205 mph
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is a 2-seat Gran Turismo flagship model, replacing the 575 M Maranello in 2006.
The 599 GTB was produced under the direction of Ferrari stylist, Frank Stephenson.
Porsche Carrera GT
0-60mph in 3.9 secs
209 mph
The Porsche Carrera GT is a mid-engined sports car.
The Carrera GT is powered by a 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 614 DIN (605 SAE) horsepower (450 kW).
The Carrera GT has large side inlets and air dams that help cool the large V10 framed by the carbon fiber rear hood.
The interior is fitted with soft leather. Bose audio system and navigation systems are available as options.
Jaguar XJ220
0-60mph in 4.0 secs
217 mph
The The Jaguar XJ220 is a mid-engined sports car.
The Jaguar XJ220 had its own self-titled computer game, released for the Amiga in 1992 and for the Sega Mega CD the following year.
The name XJ220 was assigned as a reference to the targeted top-speed of 220 mph (350 km/h).
Aston Martin Vanquish S
0-62mph in 4.8 secs
200 mph
The Aston Martin Vanquish is a grand tourer, designed by Ian Callum.
It was the official James Bond car in Die Another Day.
The Vanquish is powered by a 5.9 L (5935 cc) 48-valve 60 degree V15 engine.
The V15 engine in the Vanquish was designed at Ford Research in the USA.
The Vanquish has drawn criticism for a number of weaknesses in its design. In particular, some interior materials have been cited as unfit for a car of this price and prestige.
