Mankind has been developing cars for over a century now. Since the start, there has been a contest on who can make the fastest cars of them all. What is the fastest car in the world is a question which has obviously not one answer, but many.
Many manufacturers produced stunning cars which we will never forget. So, they kept pushing the boundaries the Speed cars could reach.
But after all these years, how fast are the cars competing at the top in 2022 โ 2023 for the title of the fastest car on earth?
Letโs get straight to the answer to the question what is the fastest car in the world and check out some of the fastest carsโฆโฆ..
1. What Makes a Car Fast?
By Fast, it means acceleration and top speed which are two different terms even if they depend one on another.
There are many factors making a car fast. Some of the factors are listed below:-
1.1. Fuel Quality
Number one is the fuel quality.
You can implement this as soon as possible. For Example, for a gasoline engine running on a 91 or 95 octane rating, you can try using a 98 or 100 octane rating.
For diesel engines, we have a cetane rating which basically stands for the delay of the diesel fuel to ignite.
1.2. Tires and Wheels
One of the most common ways to improve handling, acceleration, and top speed is to change the wheels.
Letโs say you have standard 17-inch wheels if you did great 16-inch wheels you will improve acceleration but you will decrease top speed. If you increase from 17 inches to 19 inches, you will improve top speed but decrease acceleration, and fuel consumption will increase.
If you will you would use wider tires than the standard ones you will improve the acceleration times and speed to corners so cornering will be enhanced.
1.3. Transmission
The fastest transmissions are the DCT or dual-clutch transmissions which are currently being used even in the Bugatti Chiron, the Lamborghini Huracan, Ferraris, BMW M series, Audi RS and S models and the list goes on.
A dual-clutch transmission is basically made out of two manual transmissions itโs just that itโs automated.
Many people feel that the fastest transmission is the DCT and the second is the manual transmission.
However in the manual transmission, you have more control, you have the capability of spinning the wheel through when you want you can shift the gears. But if you want a fast automatic transmission then thatโs the DCT is a way to go for.
1.4. Gear Ratio and Final Drive Ratio
Letโs take it simple, lower gear ratio means higher top speed, slower acceleration, and higher gear ratio means faster acceleration, lower top speed itโs that simple.
Each car has a different final drive ratio which is given by the differential.
If for example you would have a BMW and you would like to upgrade to eliminate the differential most of the time you have a few options. Letโs say you have a final drive ratio of 3.5 and you have two options 3.3 final drive ratio and a 3.6 final drive ratio.
If you would go for the 3.3 you will increase top speed and reduce acceleration time.
If you would upgrade to the 3.6 final drive ratio you will increase acceleration time and you will decrease top speed.
Most of the time people who upgrade to a limited differential for example want to drive their car. To drift with your car, you need more power and more torque on your wheels.
So, if you want to change the gear ratio you should upgrade to a gear ratio that is higher.
1.5. Weight
For every 50 kilograms your car will have a different acceleration.
Weight is super important for handling acceleration and top speed. Basically in the automotive industry if you want to have a lighter car you will need to pay more for less weight.
An Audi q7 with a three-litre diesel engine that has 245 horsepower and 550 meters of torque accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds thatโs because it has 2,500 kilograms or 2.5 tons.
An Audi TT has a 2-litre turbocharged gasoline engine that has 200 horsepower and 280 Newton meters of torque, so two times less torque and two times almost two times less weight, it accelerates in six point six seconds.
Audi TT is really fast even if it has low power and torque outputs. So, weight is really really important and unfortunately, if you want to have an all-wheel drive automatic car with lots of features this will increase weight and obviously the most important of all power and torque.
2. What is the Fastest Car in the World?
Itโs pretty much an endless list when it comes to cars in the world but if talking about the fastest car in the world then there are some limited options only.
The fastest cars are made for performance and they are made on special orders. Driving one of the fastest cars in the world is not everyoneโs cup of tea. It requires having a certain amount of experience driving on big engines.
Itโs very expensive to maintain these types of care because of the big engines of the cars. To operate such type of engine it requires special fuel which is 100 octets.
Everything is special for those from fuel to the tire of the car. The parts and the design of these cars are specially made for high speeds.
Letโs dive deep into the top 10 fastest cars on the planet Earth.
2.1. Koenigsegg Agera R
At the beginning of the talk, we have theย Koenigsegg Agera Rย and it may be the start of this list but the Agera RS is not to be underestimated.
With its top speed ofย 261 miles per hourย or 420.04 kilometres per hourย and a time of justย 2.8 seconds from 0 to 60. This car is already one of the fastest cars of its time which were around 2010.
Even now it is still an elite car when it comes to speed and you should be impressed when youโd see one on the road because there areย only 18 Agera R made. The car has a 5.0 litreย V8 engineย which produces a stunning 1140 horsepower.
Its Specialties are to perform on the track as well as to reach incredible speeds. Although the Agera has no official lap time on the Nurburgring, it did attempt the track and broke the world record of the top speed reached at the track width a speed of 249.54 miles per hour.
If you calculate in kilometres 401.6 kilometres per hour is the number you should understand. And Iโm not done yet it also broke the record for going from 0 to 300 to 0 kilometres per hour or 0 to 186.4 to 0 miles per hour therefore it has one of the best brakes you can get.
The Agera R is a successor of theย Koenigsegg CCXย and it is a predecessor to theย Koenigsegg Jessicaย which is featured in this list as well. Now if youโre interested in buying this car you just need a bag with 1.5 million dollars which Iโm sure is not a problem right?
2.2. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport
Next up is theย Bugatti Chiron Super Sportย with a speed of 261 miles per hour.
Yes, it has the same top speed as the currentย Koenigsegg Agera Rย but still, it deserves a spot in this list so letโs see what it has to offer.
The Bugatti sheer on sport features anย 8.0-liter quadย Turbo Chargeย W16 engineย which delivers a whopping 1480 horsepower. This engine is probably the reason it goes from 0 to 60 in just 2.4 seconds which is 0.4 seconds faster than theย Koenigsegg Agera R.
The car is mainly track-focused but we didnโt find any information about the car going on the Nurburgring. There were only 500 examples built so itโs somewhat of a rare car too and maybe that could explain the huge price of 4.7 million dollars.
Its predecessor is the famous Bugatti Veyron and the successor of this crazy car is the brand-new Bugatti Mistral which is just announced.
2.3. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Number third, we have the Bugatti Veyron Super Sportย and you might already know this one it reached a top speed of 267.8 miles per hour or 430.9 kilometers per hour atย VWโs Ehra โ Lessienย proving ground.
It has anย 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16ย which produces 1,200 horsepower and takes the car in 2.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour if you start stationary. As you probably already guessed the car is completely speed focused and specially made to reach the highest speed possible.
It also attempted the Nurburgring but unfortunately, the results of that lap are not known. what we do know is that it broke the world record for the fastest car on Earth on the 26th of June in 2010 and held that title for three years.
Now Bugatti only made 30 examples of this Baron model and they are like all the other Bugattis really expensive because you would have to show up with 2.4 million dollars.
The Bugatti Veyron is in our opinion one of the coolest most valuable and good-looking cars ever made it is the successor to the Bugatti EB-110 and the predecessor of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.
2.4. Hennessey Venom GT
Letโs see whoโs next on our list of the fastest cars on earth and if youโre really into cars you might know which car it is I am talking about, the Hennessey Venom GT.
ย
You should already recognize this car brand. This specific model brought Hennessy to the top of the cars competing for the title of the worldโs fastest car and on top of that it brought them a really good reputation which gave them a good name in the hypercar industry.
Now letโs talk about the Venom GT itself, the carโs top speed exceeds 270 miles per hour so that would be 435 kilometers per hour if Iโm correct. It has a V8 with 1261 horsepower that drives the car in 2.7 seconds from 0 to 60 miles per hour. So, the Venom GT is a fast car with a considerable top speed.
But what makes it special other than being extremely fast, well it beat the legendary Bugatti Veyron Super Sport on the 21st of January in 2013 and held the title for four years. If that wasnโt enough, we have some more cool facts for you there were only 13 Venom GTs ever made and they all have a price tag of 3 million.
The Venom GT is focused on track but is made comfortable to drive on the road as well. It also has a successor which is included in this article the Hennessey Venom F5. So if youโre curious about that then keep reading the article.
2.5. Koenigsegg One1
Now, letโs move on to the next hypercar the Koenigsegg One1.
This legendary car has a top speed of about 281 miles per hour or 452.2 kilometers per hour and can I be the first to say that the cars on this list are slowly turning into beasts the Koenigsegg One1 is no exception to that.
It is driven by a 5.0 liter V8 which delivers a monstrous 1360 horsepower and takes you from 0 to 60 in just 3.3 seconds. The Koenigsegg One1 is track-focused but is a speed devil as well.
It tried to break the record on the Nurburgring with high expectations but crashed unexpectedly but donโt worry Koenigsegg repaired the car and it is now living again. Although that crash happened Koenigsegg claims the One1 is capable of doing a lap time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds on the Nurburgring.
Nevertheless, the Koenigsegg One1 is extremely focused on aerodynamics which explains the extreme results it delivered. The predecessor of the One1 is the same as the one from the Koenigsegg Agera R, the Koenigsegg CCX, this also applies to its successor the Koenigsegg Jessica.
With only seven Koenigsegg One1 ever produced, the price of this car Rises to 2.85 million dollars.
2.6. Koenigsegg Agera RS
As I said earlier the following cars are becoming real beasts and the one we have next for you is nothing but a beast itโs the Koenigsegg Agera Rs.
If you didnโt know it already, let me explain to you why this car is such a monster. The Agera RS beat the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport who was at that time unbeatable from 0 to 249 to zero miles an hour with a time of just 24 seconds.
On top of that it held the world record for the fastest car for about three years from November 2017 till October 2020. To put it in numbers the Agera RS had a top speed of 283.9 miles per hour so thatโs about 456.8 kilometres per hour.
Now it couldnโt do all of that without its 5.0 litre V8 engine with 960 horsepower. The car is made to drive smoothly on the road but also to speed around the track.
Unfortunately, there is no official lap time on the Nurburgring for the Agera RS. If we look on the other side then we see that this car has a beautiful family with the Koenigsegg CCX as its dad and the Koenigsegg Jesko as its son.
And the Agera RS itself, as we learned just now is a pretty cool car too which only 27 were made of that all cost about 4.1 million dollars.
2.7. SSC Tuatara
Up next to the car on the list is the SSC with the SSC Tuatara.
An American car manufacturer that beat up the competition between Koenigsegg and Bugatti and presented itself as a worthy opponent. The car that turned attention to their name was the SSC Ultimate Aero, not the Tuatara.
The ultimate Arrow beat the Bugatti Veyron EB in 2007 and held the world record for three years until the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport beat it in 2010. So maybe Bugatti and Koenigsegg had already heard about this special opponent but in the five to ten years after that SSC didnโt show up with a new model who could beat them both until they announced the new SSC Tuatara, the successor of the ultimate Arrow.
It was equipped with a 5.9 litre SSC twin-turbo V8 engine built exclusively for the Tuatara. The engine produces a gigantic 1750 horsepower and drives the car to a top speed of 295 miles per hour in kilometres which would be 474.8 kilometres per hour.
The Tuatara is of course built with a top speed in mind. It has unique rear fins that accomplish precise downforce on the wheels.
As for a run on the Nurburgring rumours are that the SSC Tuatara will attempt the track in the future. Now if you want to buy this car youโd have to be quick and rich because there are only 100 Tuatara with a price tag of 1.9 million dollars.
2.8. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300 Plus
Entering the last three on the list we have the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300 plus. A monster to say at least.
As the successor of the Bugatti Chiron, it has to set some serious results it has the same 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine but produces 1,600 horsepower thatโs 100 horsepower more than the regular Chiron.
There were only 27 built with a sweet price of 3.9 million dollars. The share on Super Sport 300 plus has a top speed as the name suggests that exceeds 300 miles per hour and to make sure everyone understands thatโs more than 482.8 kilometres per hour.
Bugatti claims that they recorded a speed of exactly 490.484 kilometres per hour, if we convert that back to miles per hour we get an enormous speed of 304.77 miles per hour. Although the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300 plus is mainly focused on speed.
There is no information about the performance of the car from 0 to 60 nor lap time at the Nurburgring. But on the positive side, thereโs a small thing thatโs a nice feature, the car has a special Bugatti batch at the front made from real silver and black enamel.
2.9. Koenigsegg Jesko
The second last one has the Koenigsegg Jesko.
Yes, weโre back with the Koenigseggs and weโll just get straight into it. The Jesko is powered by a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that delivers a monstrous 1600 horsepower and is the worldโs fastest-revving engine.
The vehicle can reach a top speed of 304.77 miles per hour and as you might remember that is exactly 490.484 kilometres an hour. It reaches 60 miles per hour in a time of 2.6 seconds and is mainly focused on the track.
Unfortunately on the side of being made for the track Konenigsegg is banned from attempting lap time runs on the Nurburgring, even if theyโve rented the entire track for themselves.
Now while being the successor of the legendary Agera RS and the fact that there are only 125 examples of this car going it is going to be built with each a high precision analogue G-Force meter it bringing the price to a value of almost 3 million dollars.
2.10. Koenigsegg Jesko Absolute
Finally, the car at the fastest car on the list is the official fastest car on Earth. Do you know which one it is let me tell you, it is the Koenigsegg Jesko absolute, the Sibling of the Jesko. Did you expect that?
Now letโs talk a bit more about this amazing car. First of all the top speed the Jesco absolute reaches a top speed of 310 miles per hour thatโs 498.8 kilometres per hour nearly 500 kilometres per hour. The vehicle gets to a speed of 60 miles per hour in just 2.6 seconds.
If we then take a look at the engine that delivers all this power and pushes the boundaries of speed we see that itโs a 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 and it has 1,600 horsepower. It is the same engine as the Jesco and thus also the fastest revving engine in the world.
It is built on the Jesco and 125 versions will be made just as the normal Jesco. The difference between the Jesco and the Jesco absolute is that it is focused on speed instead of the Jesco which is as we already mentioned focused on the track.
The car hasnโt broken the record set by the Agera RS but is planned to smash it with an unbelievable speed of more than 329.3 miles per hour or 530 kilometres an hour and will see the world speed record. And as for a run on the Nurburgring, the same applies to the Jesco absolute as for the Jesko.
At last the Koenigsegg Jesko absolute is worth almost 3 million dollars.
3. Some Other Worldโs Fastest Production Car
But donโt go anywhere we have some other mentionings of cool cars that on paper are even faster than the ones in the list.
Letโs dive deep into some of those carsโฆโฆ
3.1. Hennessey Venom F5
The first one of these cool cars is the Hennessey Venom F5.
The Venom F5 aims to reach an enormous top speed of 311 miles per hour. This exceeds the 500 kilometres per hour mark with 0.5 kilometres per hour. It pulls up from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds and has a 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that produces a monstrous 1817 horsepower one of the strongest motors on the list.
The Venom F5 is focused on the road and speed and it is as we already mentioned the successor to the Venom GT. The car is going to the Nurburgring in the future so a lap time isnโt known.
Yet a title that Hennessy wants to claim with the Venom F5 II is the Roadster version is the fastest convertible on the planet. It should go 300 miles per hour or 482.8 kilometres per hour.
Now with only 24 examples produced of the Venom F5, the car is priced at 3 million dollars. So the Hennessy will probably go even faster than the all-fast Koenigsegg Jesko Absolute.
3.2. Bugatti Bolide
Now what could go faster than that, it is the brand new Bugatti Bolide, a car which is specially made for the track. It is one of the worldโs fastest cars.
It features an 8.0 litre W16 that brings a gigantic 1824 horsepower with it. Thatโs slightly more than the Venom F5s Engine with 1817 horsepower. This car which is built on the Chiron Super Sport achieves a top speed that is about the same as the Venom F5.
But the way Buatti announced, it tells us it has the potential to be even higher. Bugatti says that the Bolide should go faster than 310 miles per hour. If we convert that to kilometres we get a speed faster than 498.8 kilometres per hour.
So, we are not sure about this but the Bolide may be faster than the Hennessey Venom F5. When you pull up from 0 to 60 in the Bolide then it would take approximately 2.17 seconds.
The numbers tell us that this car is an absolute beast and the achievements tell no difference. The Bolide has a lap time of 5 minutes and 23 seconds on the Nurburgring which almost beat the lap time of the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo which comes up with electric motors set a lap time of 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
The Bugatti Bolide is unfortunately also the last model with Bugattiโs w16 engine and only 40 were made with a price tag of about 5 million dollars. The Bugatti bolide, if it will achieve its goal will be the fastest car on Earth.
Beating not only Koenigsegg and Hennessy in the competition but also manufacturers like SSC, hopefully, you can get a car of these amazing car brands one day.
The Takeaway!
Major cars on the list have V8 engine which is really powerful and give a tremendous amount of horsepower. However its the time for electric vehicles which are doing pretty well in terms of power and driving range. If you are someone who wants to read more about electric cars and gain some knowledge about them check out 11 Amazing Facts about Electric Cars.
Last Updated on by ritukhare