I covered before how the curved lines of a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray split-window coupe got a hold of me. That gripping moment is what started my interest in the automotive industry. After that, I started learning about performance cars, horsepower figures, cornering abilities of sportscars versus sedans, and the importance of aerodynamics in car design. Of course, there was also an interest in speed (not the pharmaceutical kind).

For many years I loved exotic cars such as Ferrari and Lamborghini. But, then I learned that a Porsche (at the time) was the fastest production car from zero-to-sixty. That is when I learned that a fancy Italian sounding name may mean a fast car, but may not necessarily be the fastest car. 

Zero-to-sixty is not everything

Today, Ferrari and Lamborghini are still around making fast cars. Yet, the situation has not changed, they are not necessarily the fastest car. Zero-to-sixty is only one aspect of a car’s ability. Top speed is another. Although most people will never actually top out the ability of their car, there are the select few that the top speed hunt is a consuming quest. They want their car to be the fastest car.

This morning, I came across a top-ten list for production cars and my jaw hit the ground. The 250 mile-per-hour top speed barrier for a production car has not only been surpassed, but it has been toppled to a great degree. That barrier was searched after by manufacturers for years. Today, it is a non-issue. The fastest car has eclipsed it.

The fastest car top-ten list

The list shows that the fastest production cars in the world are incredibly fast. Also, it is not just one or two cars that have surpassed 200 mile-per-hour. There are quite a few. But, only a few of those topped 250 mile-per-hour. By the way, Porsche did not make the list at all. Here is the list as provided by our friends at Automobile Magazine.

• 2020 McLaren Senna: 208 mph
• 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo: 211 mph
• 2020 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera: 211 mph
• 2020 Ferrari 812 Superfast: 211 mph
• 2020 McLaren 720S: 212 mph
• 2020 Ford GT: 216 mph
• 2020 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ: 217 mph
• 2021 McLaren Speedtail: 250 mph
• 2020 Bugatti Chiron: 261 mph
• 2021 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 304 mph

The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+

The fastest car on the list is the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. It is listed at nearly $4 million for each copy. But, all the copies are sold out already. Video of Bugatti taking the car to a closed roadway for the top speed test by a professional is below.

It is important to note that the Bugatti used in the top speed run was looked over by experts prior to the test. The conditions on the roadway were also optimal – dry and not windy. With all that said, the top speed run was incredible. The car reached 304 miles-per-hour and had not topped out. It was still accelerating. Also, the car was not screaming, not weird sounds coming from the engine and no flashing lights were in the instrument cluster. That is astonishing because this is a production car, not a specialty race car. It was a thrilling performance

Electrified players on the fastest car list in five years

It is also important to note that the automotive industry is currently undergoing a massive shift to electrification. Consequently, it is now not unusual to have 1,000 horsepower cars discussed in connection with electrification. So, I mention this only to point out that in another five years, that same list of production car top speeds may likely have other players involved such as Rimac, Tesla, and others. That’s food for thought. 

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