1) MCLAREN SPEEDTAIOL
Testing a 1,055-hp hypercar on the narrow roads of England's leafy home counties is a bit like trying to recreate the Battle of Midway in your bathtub: It's hard to capture the epic nature of it all in such a confined environment. But after a day in the 2021 McLaren Speedtail that included some cut-and-thrust through the twisties and a few furtive bursts to triple-digit velocities, it's clear this is a hypercar like no other. And not just because it's the only production car in the world that can take you and two of your closest friends to 250 mph.
The Speedtail is not a 21st century riff on the most iconic McLaren road car of them all—the Gordon Murray-designed F1. Yes, it shares the F1's unique cockpit layout—a central driving position flanked by two rear-set passenger seats—and its ability to devour a mile every 15 seconds. But the $2.2 million (plus tax) Speedtail is its own thing, a unique take on the modern hypercar, with a character and charisma all its own.
Just look at it. If the brutalist Senna is the architecturalization of downforce, the Speedtail is velocity visualized, a shimmering carbon-fiber teardrop on wheels sculpted by a 200-mph slipstream. Like McLaren Automotive design chief Rob Melville's other cars, its form has been defined by its function. Every panel, every visible part, has been designed so the air flows as smoothly over, under, and around it as possible. The windshield curves in a single piece from the cowl to mid-roof; the bodywork enclosing the rear of the car runs from door to door without any interrupting seams; the front wheels have fixed carbon-fiber covers to optimize the airflow along the bodysides.
2)BUGATTI VERYRON 16.4
The vehicle’s official "top speed" is calculated by averaging the top speeds of each pass in order to negate any favorable road or weather conditions. Today, on a temporarily-closed 2 lane stretch of public highway in Washington State, the Ultimate Aero posted a top speed of 257.41 mph (414.31 kph) on its first pass and 254.88 mph (410.24 kph) on its return pass, yielding a new top speed record: a staggering 256.18 mph (412.28 kph). The data, collected by Dewetron’s world-renowned GPS tracking system, will be verified by Guinness before the Ultimate Aero is officially crowned the "World’s Fastest Production Car." This breaks the current official record held by the Koenigsegg CCR at 242 mph by 11.83 mph and the Bugatti Veyron’s unofficial speed of 253 mph by 3.14 mph.
The main carry over component from the Veyron is the 7,993 cc (8.0 L) quad-turbocharged W16 engine, though it is heavily updated. The engine in the Chiron has a peak power output of 1,103 kW (1,479 hp; 1,500 PS) at 6,700 rpm and 1,600 N⋅m (1,180 lb⋅ft) of torque starting from 2,000 to 6,000 rpm.[11] The engine in the most powerful variant of its predecessor, the Veyron Super Sport generates 221 kW (296 hp; 300 PS) less than the new Chiron, while the engine in the original Veyron generates 367 kW (492 hp; 499 PS) less power.[12][13]
Like its predecessor, the Veyron, the Chiron utilises a carbon fibre body structure, independent suspension and a Haldex All-wheel drive system.[14][15][16] The carbon fibre body has a stiffness of 50,000 Nm per degree.[17]
The Chiron can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.4 seconds according to the manufacturer, 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 6.5 seconds and 0–300 km/h (0–186 mph) in 13.6 seconds. In a world-record-setting test at the time in 2017, the Chiron reached 400 km/h (249 mph) in 32.6 seconds, after which it needed 9.4 seconds to brake to standstill.[18]
The Chiron's top speed is electronically limited to 420 km/h (261 mph), or 375–380 km/h (233–236 mph) without the specific key, for safety reasons, mainly arising from the tyres as the manufacturer concluded that no tyre currently manufactured would be able to handle the stress at the top speed the Chiron is capable of achieving.[2][19] Independent testing by an owner has indicated that the Chiron can easily attain its limited top speed.[20] Mixed fuel consumption is 22.5 L/100 km (12.55 mpg‑imp; 10.45 mpg‑US).[21]
While the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport may no longer be the fastest production road car on Earth, it's still a massively important and impressive vehicle. It burned itself into the brains of an entire generation of enthusiasts when it set the record back in 2010, hitting a top speed of 267.8 mph at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. Now, the very last of 48 examples built by Bugatti is up for sale.
Finished in a menacing matte black over Carmine red interior from the factory, the last Veyron Super Sport would make a fine addition to any multi-million dollar collection, if not simply for its stunning looks. Though it shares much of its design with the standard 16.4, Super Sports got NACA ducts in place of the standard roof-mounted intakes, and a host of totally redesigned air inlets, wings, and more to improve aero and reduce drag. The result is a much cleaner, streamlined design we can't help but love.
Bigger turbos and intercoolers in the Super Sport meant an increase of 200 horsepower from the massive 16-cylinder engine, while stronger stabilizers and stiffer spring rates guaranteed stability at speed. In addition to the massive top-end grunt, the Super Sport could sprint to 60 mph in a scant 2.5 seconds—still as quick as today's most impressive hypercars.
HOUSTON, Texas – Hennessey® Performance (HPE) today announced that on January 10, 2013 its street-legal Venom GT® supercar accelerated from 0-300 km/h in just 13.63 seconds, thus establishing the vehicle as a new record holder according to Guinness® WORLD RECORDS (GWR). The acceleration time was an average of two runs made in opposite directions within one hour and validated by a VBox 3i GPS-based data logging system. VBox officials were on hand to certify the numbers as required by Guinness® rules. The first run was completed in 13.18 seconds with a 4 mph tailwind. The second run was made in 14.08 seconds while encountering a 6 mph headwind. The resulting two-way 0-300 km/h average was 13.63 seconds.
“We are exceptionally proud of our team at HPE who helped to make this new Guinness® World Record possible,” said company founder and president, John Hennessey. “This is just the first of several validation tests designed to show the world what our special car is all about – being the fastest. Period.”
A Guinness® representative was on hand to witness the testing as well as to personally inspect the Venom GT® before making any acceleration attempts. After the record runs were made (and officially validated) the representative was given a ride in a Venom GT® to personally experience the performance. “I have never ridden in anything this fast,” said Guinness® WORLD RECORD adjudicator Philip Robertson. “The acceleration is absolutely amazing.”
The acceleration runs were conducted at Ellington Airport (also used by NASA) located southeast of Houston, Texas, using the seventh production Venom GT® — a street-legal car that makes use of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup DOT-approved radial tires, 93-octane pump fuel, and a full interior replete with high-end stereo, air conditioning, and bespoke leather / Alcantara seats. Powered by a 7.0-liter (427 cubic inch) V-8 engine fed by twin Precision turbochargers, the Venom GT® produces 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 lb-ft of torque. Weighing just 1,244 kg (2,743 lbs) the rear-wheel-drive Venom GT® delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 1 horsepower per each kilogram of vehicle curb weight.
“We are especially grateful to the City of Houston and the staff at Ellington Airport for allowing to conduct this World Record attempt on their perfectly paved 8,000 ft. runway,” said Hennessey Performance CEO Don Goldman.
Although Guinness® only recognizes runs made in kilometers per hour (km/h), the Venom GT® also set a new unofficial acceleration record of 0-200 miles per hour (mph) in 14.51 seconds as verified by VBox GPS. The 0-200 mph record was previous held by the Koenigsegg Agera R that required 17.68 seconds time— 3.17 seconds slower than the Venom GT®. By comparison, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (powered by a 1,200 horsepower 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine channeling power through an all-wheel-drive system) ran 0-200 mph in 22.2 seconds— 7.7 seconds slower than the Venom GT®.
While conducting the Guinness® World Record runs, despite marginal traction (due to three days of previous rainfall), the Venom GT® accelerated from 0-60 mph in 3.05 seconds, 0-100 mph in 5.88 seconds, ran the standing quarter-mile in 10.29 seconds at 158.83 mph, and ran the standing half-mile at 205.65 mph. During testing done at Ellington Airport a few weeks prior to the Guinness® record runs, the Venom GT® accelerated to 300 km/h in 13.48 seconds while on its way to 370 km/h run (229.9 mph) in just 19.96 seconds.
Hennessey® only plans to build a total of 29 Venom GTs, with one-third of the production run already being sold. Thus, the Venom GT® is not only the fastest accelerating hypercar in the world, it’s also one of the most exclusive. The Venom GT® costs $1.2 million US Dollars plus shipping and not including options. Each vehicle is custom built to order and requires six months for completion.
About Hennessey® Performance
Established in 1991, Hennessey® Performance (HPE) now operates from a new facility comprised of a 36,000 square foot building that is located adjacent to Lonestar Motorsports Park, the company’s test track and IHRA sanctioned ¼ mile dragstrip. The 143-acre complex is located about 45 minutes west of Houston, Texas along Interstate 10. Hennessey® offer a wide variety of dyno-proven, track-tested parts for modern performance vehicles. In addition, Hennessey® operates Tuner School, the world’s first (fully state accredited) school dedicated to teaching and training future performance vehicle tuners.
In 2010, Hennessey® Performance opened a new 12,500 square foot facility in Lake Forest, California, to better serve clients in Southern California. For more information, contact John Hennessey at Hennessey® Performance at 979.885.1300 or visit www.venomgt.com or www.hennesseyperformance.com
