Automotive technology has advanced significantly over the past century-plus as automakers continue to push the boundaries of horsepower and top speed. The 1894 Benz Velo had a top recorded speed of 12 mph and is considered the first production car to have verified records in regard to its speed.
The Jaguar XK120 established the speed record in 1950 at 124.6 mph. Just 25 years later, vehicles like the 1975 Jaguar XJS and 1970 BMW M1 Procar had exceeded 160 mph.
These six modern vehicles have all been clocked at speeds exceeding 260 mph:
1. SSC Tuatara
Top speeds can be hard to verify, especially when the manufacturer alleges that speed is in excess of 300 mph, once considered an almost impossible barrier to break. When it unveiled the 1,750-horsepower Tuatara, SSC alleged it had a top speed of 265 mph. However, it later released a pair of videos alleging it achieved a top speed of 331.15 mph and an average of 316.11 mph across two runs. This has since been disputed by YouTubers and internet sleuths who noticed the videos had been incorrectly edited.
In analyzing the videos, critics noticed errors and inaccuracies in distances between landmarks as well as the vehicle’s gearbox ratios and engine. They also noticed the helicopter above was able to keep up with the Tuatara during its top speed run. Finally, the manufacturer of the GPS speed tracking device used by SSC has yet to validate the Tuatara’s 316.11 mph top speed.
Responding to the criticism of the videos, SSC CEO Jerod Shelby released a video on YouTube in which he spoke about the inaccuracies of the top speed run and promised to perform the run again to erase any doubts: “The next time we do this [ . . . ] We need to make sure we have multiple GPS companies’ equipment in the car. I want to make sure that we have their staff on site, looking over our shoulders and analyzing every run [and] every detail.”
Even without verification of the 316.11 mph top speed, the SSC Tuatara is one of the fastest cars in the world with a verified top speed of 286 mph. The vehicle sells for $1.6 million and there are only 100 in production.
2. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
Before SSC’s unverified top speed claims for the Tuatara, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ recorded a top speed of 304.77 mph on a test track in Germany in August 2019. At that speed, the 1,578-horsepower vehicle with a quad-turbo, 8.0-liter W-16 engine covered 450 feet in one second.
Originally produced as a test car to break the 261 mph barrier previously set by the standard Bugatti Chiron, the French firm built 30 production models of the vehicle priced at $3.8 million each.
3. Koenigsegg Agera RS
Based on proven and verified claims, the Koenigsegg Agera RS is the second-fastest car in the world, with a top speed of 278 mph. It achieved this speed in November 2017, at which point it held distinction as the world’s fastest vehicle.
The speed was recorded on an 11-mile stretch of road outside Las Vegas that was closed by the Nevada Department of Transportation. Koenigsegg factory driver Niklas Lilja recorded two runs, one of which was 285 mph, for an average pace of 278 mph.
4. Hennessey Venom GT
Introduced in 2011, Hennessey developed only 13 models of the Venom GT until production ended in 2017. The $1.2 million sportscar has a twin-turbo, 7.0-liter V-8 engine with 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 pound-feet of torque.
It achieved a top speed of 270.4 mph on the shuttle landing strip at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in February 2014. Yet, this speed wasn’t tracked in the Guinness Book of Records as the run was in a single direction.
5. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
One of the oldest cars on this list, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was introduced in 2005. It achieved a top speed of 268 mph at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessein test track in Germany, the same track at which the Chiron Super Sport 300+ broke the 300 mph barrier.
Bugatti’s Veyon had previously achieved 250 mph. However, the company developed the 1,184-horsepower Super Sport with particular emphasis on aerodynamic qualities in response to the SSC Ultimate Aero breaking the speed record with a top speed of 256 mph. There are only 30 vehicles in existence with a price tag of $2.7 million.
6. Koenigsegg Agera R
Before it recorded a top speed of 278 mph with the Agera RS, Koenigsegg achieved a company-best speed of 260 mph with its Agera R. The manufacturer produced 18 vehicles of the sportscar from 2011 to 2014. It boasts a twin-turbo, 5.0-liter V-8 engine and has a 0-60 mph time of 2.7 seconds thanks in part to its 1,124 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. The vehicle is priced at $2 million.
At least three other vehicles—the Koenigsegg Jesko, Dagger GT, and Devel Sixteen—have claims of speeds in excess of 300 mph, but have yet to go into production.
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