The 20 Fastest Cars In The World

For decades auto engineers have focused on squeezing an ever-increasing amount of power from their perspective automotive offerings, though in the last quarter-century, the hair-raising speeds afforded by these high-dollar machines have become so excessive that a significant portion of their R&D is spent on areas such as improved down-force generation and aerodynamics, stability and handling. And though these cars aren’t just built to travel at lightning speeds in a straight line, and are designed to go around a race track as fast as possible, outright speed remains the most common metric we use to judge a car’s raw performance prowess.

Each year, automotive manufacturers are tasked with one-upping their outgoing model, and these improvements are often conveyed through increased speed and or acceleration. And with so many insanely fast super and hypercars having been introduced to the market over the last year, now seems like the perfect time to take a step back and take stock of which are the 20 outright fastest cars in the world.

While outright top speed is obviously a crucial factor, there are a number of other key elements to consider when judging how “fast” a particular car is. Ultimately the best real-world measure of how should be how quickly it can get around a race track, as — at least outside of drag racing — how a car carries its weight, handles, and brakes (among other areas) all play pivotal roles in any vehicles raw performance abilities.

This is an almost impossible standard to glean information from as there is no one standard track, and even if there was, there are so many variables in track times that make the numbers somewhat moot beyond a general ballpark grasp, including, but not limited to, the driver piloting the vehicle, track and weather conditions, tire type, age, and temperature, and the circuit layout (not to mention the track itself).

Because of this, there are other areas that should be taken into consideration when talking about which cars are the “fastest”. And while we’ll be ranking this list based on top speeds, we’ll also be touching on several other noteworthy areas. This includes engine type — which doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story, though displacement, number of cylinders, and induction type all give a pretty solid indication of what the car it’s powering is capable of.

In addition to engine type, horsepower and torque figures, stacked next to a car’s weight are typically pretty revealing when reviewed as a whole, as are 0-60mph (or approximately 0-100km/h) times. Plus, it’s always fun knowing what’s under the hood of these ultra-sleek, rolling feats of design and engineering, as well as where each of them was hand-built, as every entry on this list is. Below, we’ve compiled a shortlist with these aforementioned elements for the fastest cars currently in existence.

The most potent member of Koenigsegg’s CC lineup upon its release, the CCR featured a bevy of track-focused upgrades over the base model including larger wheels and brakes, a new aero package, up-specced suspenders, and dual Rotrex Superchargers. The CCR sported a “Ghost” symbol which was a nod to the Swedish Fighter Jet Squadron No 1 planes that were produced at the same factory now occupied by Koenigsegg.

Short for “Competition Coupé X” — with the “X” denoting the tenth anniversary since the creation of the original prototype — the CCX was a sleek Swedish supercar that, unlike its Ford-powered predecessor, was kicked along by a twin-supercharged V8 that Koenigsegg developed in-house. The supercar was created with the intent to produce an ultra-high-performance vehicle that adhered to various global safety and emissions regulations.

Built by (UAE-based) Lebanese make, W Motors and named after a beastly wolf god in Norse mythology, the Fenyr Supersport gave the region’s elite market the opportunity to buy a locally-built supercar. First debuting at the 2015 Dubai Motor Show and generating an enormous amount of hype of social media, the futuristic-looking Fenyr experienced a great deal of success, ultimately prompting the manufacturer to increase its original production output by more than fourfold.

The first fully proprietary car built by Saleen — and only the third mid-engine production car produced in the US — the 100% hand-built Saleen S7 is powered by a bored- stroked, and heavily-massaged, all-aluminum version of Ford’s 351 Windsor Smallblock. The S7 was born out of an All-American collaboration with Ray Mallock LTD tasked with designing the chassis and suspension, Hidden Creek Industries for the finical backing, Phil Frank for the interior and body design, and Steve Saleen who served as the project manager, as well as being responsible for the powertrain.

A major departure from the legendary British marque’s traditional signature design language, the cutting-edge  Valkyrie — also known by the “AM-RB 001” — was a joint effort between Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing, and its Chief Technical Director (and most successful F1 designer of all time), Adrian Newev. Despite its wildly-sleek appearance and the ungodly amount of power on tap — thanks to a Cosworth V12 — the Valkyrie is, in fact, a 100% road-legal production model.

In McLaren’s 35-year history, the elite automaker has time and time again pushed the automotive envelope, and the brand’s pioneering tradition for innovation is on full display in its new Speedtail. Part of McLaren’s Ultimate Series, the Speedtail pays homage to iconic race machines of yesteryear while still employing the latest and greatest in automotive technology in the form of a 1,035hp hybrid powertrain setup.

The 2020 Tesla Roadster is an all-electric all-wheel-drive two-seater that, in addition to boasting some seriously impressive performance specs, still manages to afford a healthy 620 mile (claimed) range thanks to a potent 200kWh cell. The modern successor to the EV marque’s inaugural offering, the new Roadster piggybacks on the R&D that went into creating the first-generation model, while also benefitting from today’s rapidly-evolving electric powertrain technology.

First revealed at the 1993 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Dauer Porsche 962 Le Mans was largely based on Porsche’s 962 race platform and was built by Germany’s Jochen Dauer (of Dauer Racing fame). Powered by a Porsche Type 935 KKK twin-turbocharged flat-six, a modified version of the machine was piloted to victory at the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the first time a GT1 sports car took the top rung of the podium at the grueling event. Only 13 examples were built in total, making specimens as elite as they are rare.

2005 marked the release of Bugatti’s mighty Veyron, and with the powerful mid-engine supercar came a new level of excellence from the fabled French manufacturer. Named after Pierre Veyron, a famous, French, post-depression era Bugatti racer and test driver — and winner of the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans — the 987hp supercar was widely adored by the automotive community, being crowned with numerous prestigious awards including Top Gear’s highly-coveted “Car Of The Decade,” and “Best Car Driven All Year 2005″ Awards.

Limited to just 80 units worldwide, the Regera was Koenigsegg’s first-ever hybrid model, and while it designed to be a plusher, more “sensible” alternative to the brand’s more track-oriented offerings, the Regera was still damn quick. Swedish for the verb “to reign”, the Regera’s 5.0L twin-turbo V8 was coupled with dual YASA 750 R motors and single YASA P400 unit that combined, deliver a cool 1,500 horses to the wheels via the elite marque’s Direct Drive System power delivery system (which first appeared on the Regera).

The world’s fastest production car from 2007 to 2010, the Ultimate Aero was a made-in-America supercar from boutique Washington-based manufacturer, SSC. Not only was the thing good for nearly 1,200hp, but it also lacked the modern electronic drivers’ aids like traction control and ABS that have become ubiquitous in the supercar realm, making it something of a true driver’s machine. Though it’s grown long in the tooth by today’s standards, the Ultimate Aero marked a return to form for the once-leading US auto industry.

The Bugatti Chiron is a mid-engine hypercar that served as the successor to the Veyron. Based on Bugatti’s Vision Gran Turismo concept car, the Chiron Sport was named after legendary Monaco driver, Louis Chiron. The French hypercar’s 8.0L V8 unleashes 1,479 rowdy horses which get it up to an impressive 261mph — a speed which the Chiron would exceed were it not for the thing’s top speed is electronically governed.

The car that took the title from the SSC Ultimate Aero, the Veyron Super Sport rolled on the scene in 2010 with a vengeance (and 1,000hp+). This lightning-fast — and 100% road-legal — hypercar was penned by automotive design legend, Hartmut Warkuß, the force behind several significant models from brands like Audi and Bentley.

Another stellar American model, the Venom GT was a nimble, two-seater based on the Lotus Elise and Exige platform. Built by hand in Texas in minute numbers, the Venom GT was powered by a seriously-potent LSX V8 that enabled it to clock 0-60mph runs in well-under three-seconds. And while it does bare some noticeable resemblance to the Lotus it’s based on, it is a very different – and we’d argue very superior — beast.

The replacement for Koenigsegg’s CCX range, the Agera RS introduced a new, sleeker and more modern aesthetic for the Swedish supercar outfit. In 2010 it was aware Hypercar of the Year by Top Gear Magazine — seven years before clocking a GPS-verified top speed of 285mph. Though it spent a relatively short time in production, it played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for the good things that were to come at the Swedish manufacturer.

Named after Jesko Von Koenigsegg, father of company founder, Christian von Koenigsegg, the Jesko is the successor to Koenigsegg’s Agera RS, the Jesko is the elite Swedish brand’s latest and greatest in four-wheeled performance. Unlike the more comfortable, touring-focused Regera range, the Jesko is a balls-to-the-wheels track weapon, designed with a major emphasis on razor-sharp handling, aerodynamics, and downforce.

Beautifully-designed by Jason Castriota, a New York native who has previously designed cars for elite manufacturers like Ferrari and Maserati, the 2020 Tuatara is a freshly-released model from American marque, SSC. Built around a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and shrouded in full carbon bodywork — that boasts a class-leading 0.279 drag coefficient — the hypercar features active aerodynamics and adjustable suspension geometry.

The Venom F5 was the result of Hennesey stepping up to build its own high-performance hypercar from the ground up. Made by Hennessey Special Vehicles — a division created by the tuning company with the express purpose of building elite American hypercars — the 300mph+ Venom F5 will surely be remembered as one of the all-time best American supercars ever. The 1,600hp beast’s moniker is borrowed from the category F5 tornado, the highest possible ranking on the Fujita scale.

Based on the other three entries on this list, it should come as no surprise that a late-model Bugatti has found its way to one of the top three spots on the list of today’s fastest cars. The elite model utilizes the same potent powertrain that’s found in the French firm’s Centodieci machine. With a name celebrating its ability to break the 300mph barrier, the Chiron Super Sport is a limited-production version of the venerable modern-day Bugatti.

Everything about the 2020 Devel Sixteen is absolutely bonkers: it’s otherworldly 5,000hp+ output; its use of reactors as exhaust pipes; its stunning, outside-the-box design; its top speed of nearly 350mph. And it doesn’t just reach those speeds, but it gets there damn-quick, with a sub-two second 0-60mph time. At this point, it looks like future hypercar development will have to focus less on squeezing more power from an engine and more on designing the aerodynamic elements required to ensure these increasingly fast vehicles don’t inadvertently take flight.

The 8 Best Track-Only Cars You Can Buy

Still on the prowl for more horsepower-laden, performance-focused four-wheelers? Our guide to the best track-only cars you can buy has got you covered with the latest and greatest non-road-legal track weapons the industry has to offer.