Veyron DEFEATED: The Official Fastest Car in the World belongs to...

[TwinTurbos94]

Good Job SSC, America holds the title again!Now we wait for Saleen.....

Me I would Perferr (currently) The SSC. The Veyran is too "luxurious" for my taste. I know I would probably NEVER hit the 250+ mark in that car,but it's always nice to know that you have that in your pocke.

 

[McLaren]

I suppose 160mph is overkill unless your country has no speed laws. It must be bragging rights or just a end result of making a very powerful car. A manufacturer would rather list their top speed as 180mph than 140mph.

Exactly. Bragging rights.

My guess is marketing. Somebody with that kind of money would probably be more likely to buy a car that goes faster than the car next to it because, well, it's more impressive. Besides, compared to many of these supercars, doesn't the 155 BMW, M-B and Audi limit their cars to seem kinda slow?

True. Again, bragging rights. The German limit seems a bit stupid, but it is done in good sense. But it is and has been shown that when the limiters are removed, they go much faster.

I believe Toronado was the one I learned from that the SL65 is capable of 205Mph when all or almost all of the limiters are removed. I know even the mighty Carrera GT has a 205 top speed that is actually set that way by a govenor/limiter. Of course, with that kind of car, that's done for safety and stability.

Just want to point out that the Veyron never had it to be defeated from, and the SSC doesn't have it yet as it's not been officially verified.

And the Dauer doesn't do 404Kph, no does the F1 hit 391Kph. And yet, there is actually proof that both these cars can (Video Evidence for the McLaren). These official/unofficial nonsense is just what Guiness says.

Even though Guiness won't recognize either car yet, just because it didn't follow all their rules, both these cars and others like the F1 and Dauer can hit those speeds regardless of what Guiness says.

 

[Leonidae]

It uses lol/pushrods, thus, it's insignificant despite being marginally more powerful/faster. For me, Veyron is still The Car.

 

[daan]

And the Dauer doesn't do 404Kph, no does the F1 hit 391Kph. And yet, there is actually proof that both these cars can (Video Evidence for the McLaren). These official/unofficial nonsense is just what Guiness says.

But the whole point of records is to make sure everyone is using the same rules.

You need to have a level playing field, accurate equipment, and unbiased testers, otherwise its just a claim.

The F1 didn't hit 391km/h. Andy Wallace read out 391km/h in the video, but the F1's corrected record stood at 386.7km/h.

Even though Guiness won't recognize either car yet, just because it didn't follow all their rules, both these cars and others like the F1 and Dauer can hit those speeds regardless of what Guiness says.

But we don't know until they're officially tested. As an example, the Countach never reached the speeds Lamborghini said it would. It was slower than you'd expect it to be.

 

[Perfect Balance]

So basically some Americans have done what they've been doing since drag racing started, making cars go fast in a straight line, except this time they're selling it.


I doubt this thing is anywhere near as reliable as the bugatti.

 

[Tornado]

Does the Veyron have a soul in your opinion?

Yes, but not as a sports car. As the ultimate car, period. Things like the 'Egg and the Ultimate Aero seem more like "design a car purely to go fast" rather than "design an ultimate and desirable automobile" (for example, Autocar drove the Ultimate Aero and was less than impressed, and Top Gear nearly exploded the 'Egg). Which is both why the Veyron is in my opinion better than this and cars like the Maccy F1 are better than the Veyron.

But didn't the Veyron take 6 years as well? How long did we wait for that?

The Veyron took 4 years, 2 of which were exclusively dedicated to keeping the engine from detonating.

The LP640 didn't even touched 200 mph, and MT explained that the track wasn't long enough to reach 200 mph.

All the more hilarious because MT has in the past made cars go far faster on that track than they did this year, even without the help of a crack professional driver.

I'm a bit concerned about those tires, as they only go up to 188mph according to the manufacturer. Either SSC got a special version, or they used them out of specs, which would be an unbearable risk. Any ideas?

The Veyron is listed as having PS2 as well, but those were special made. I'm guessing the same applies here.

Now when will Saleen get around to making the S7TT able to do it?

Never. The Saleen is the same idea as the Mosler is: Designed to handle more than go straight. The only difference between the two is that the Saleen has a couple hundred more BHP. The proof is in the cars bodywork and gearing more than what the power numbers imply.

I believe Toronado was the one I learned from that the SL65 is capable of 205Mph when all or almost all of the limiters are removed.

Most of the limiters. In fact, the only one that isn't able to break 200 MPH is the SL550 (and that's probably in the 170's at least).

Also, the single best post of this thread:

It's funny that a lot of people who delittled the Veyron for being a car "designed" to go as fast as it does, are praising this for beating it. Was this not "designed" to go faster than the Veyron.

Seriously, + Rep. This Ultimate Aero one of those cars designed purely to go fast as possible going straight. And people love it. Yet the Veyron, which was designed to go as fast as possible in a straight line while being as comfortable, livable and reliable as possible is "teh suck." I'm okay with this company designing the car based on just getting top speed, just as I'm okay with the 'Egg being designed for that purpose. But I'm also of the opinion that this thing is probably deftly unreliable (aluminum small blocks don't take that well to high pressure turbocharging), a nuisance to live with (imagine even letting off the clutch with that much power) and wholly unsuited for anything other than ripping off sprints to 250 (because I doubt 1100 horsepower leads to good turn exit speeds).

 

[RouWa]

Is this car street legal in America? I think it would not be legal here in Germany.

 

[Dave A]

And the Dauer doesn't do 404Kph, no does the F1 hit 391Kph. And yet, there is actually proof that both these cars can (Video Evidence for the McLaren). These official/unofficial nonsense is just what Guiness says.

Even though Guiness won't recognize either car yet, just because it didn't follow all their rules, both these cars and others like the F1 and Dauer can hit those speeds regardless of what Guiness says.

Well in the F1's case, that video (if it's the one I've seen) was of an F1 without it's catalyctic converter fitted, it wasn't road legal.

 

[Tornado]

Well in the F1's case, that video (if it's the one I've seen) was of an F1 without it's catalyctic converter fitted, it wasn't road legal.

I was under the impression that they merely removed the rev limiter for the 240 run.

 

[Dave A]

Maybe, I'd heared it was the cat. If it was the rev limiter, it'd be no more valid that if someone managed to remove the Veyrons limiter and see how fast that really went though. It brings a whole new argument into the validity of top speed arguments, imo that was right to remain unofficial either way. It was still the fastest production car at the time regarless of the 240mph run.

 

[McLaren]

Well in the F1's case, that video (if it's the one I've seen) was of an F1 without it's catalyctic converter fitted, it wasn't road legal.

It was still factory specifications. You can't tell me not every little manufacturer who has done top speed runs on their own has changed a little feature to help.

But the whole point of records is to make sure everyone is using the same rules.

Yes, for official records. The SSC still hit 257Mph meaning even though Guinness records it at 255Mph in the books on an average, the car's top speed is still capable of 257Mph.

The F1 didn't hit 391km/h. Andy Wallace read out 391km/h in the video, but the F1's corrected record stood at 386.7km/h.

That is the official record. The McLaren F1 is still capable of 391Kph/240Mph because it's been recorded at those speeds.
Are we going to say then that the Veyron is not capable of 253Mph just because the almighty Guinness says it doesn't meet their rules? No. Why? Because we've seen and read for ourselves it can.

Besides, Guinness is a joke. Their website and book doesn't even list anything anymore for previous records like "World's Fastest Production Car". The closest thing is the Thrust SSC.

 

[Dave A]

I get what your saying, and in the case of the SSC, it has hit 257mph. However, the reason Guiness do the run twice is because of the wind and the road perhaps not being completly flat. If you do the run on a slight downhill gradient, you will go faster than on a slight uphill gradient. Likewise, driving into a strong wind will provide more resistance as driving with the wind behind you.

 

[Tornado]

If it was the rev limiter, it'd be no more valid that if someone managed to remove the Veyrons limiter and see how fast that really went though.

On the contrary: If one was to remove the Veyrons' speed limiter the new high speed would still be valid. Because a speed limiter (and a rev limiter) do nothing to add to a cars power/performance, and the car is still stock in the sense that it isn't wind resistance that is preventing top speed.

That is the official record. The McLaren F1 is still capable of 391Kph/240Mph because it's been recorded at those speeds.

386.7 KM/H is 240MPH. 391 km/h is 242 MPH.

 

[Dave A]

On the contrary: If one was to remove the Veyrons' speed limiter the new high speed would still be valid. Because a speed limiter (and a rev limiter) do nothing to add to a cars power/performance, and the car is still stock in the sense that it isn't wind resistance that is preventing top speed.

I didn't say it wouldn't be valid at all, I just said it would be no more valid than the example given . A car should officially be tested compleptely stock though, no wing mirrors removed, not limiters removed etc. It cuts out arguments based on specualtion, ultimately, we don't know if the SSC if quicker than the Veyron, we just know that the Veyron is electronically limited to 252mph, it might do 260, we don't know. I'm meerely talking from an official standpoint.

 

[McLaren]

I get what your saying, and in the case of the SSC, it has hit 257mph. However, the reason Guiness do the run twice is because of the wind and the road perhaps not being completly flat. If you do the run on a slight downhill gradient, you will go faster than on a slight uphill gradient. Likewise, driving into a strong wind will provide more resistance as driving with the wind behind you.

I understand that. More than 1 run is necessary, but it hit 253Mph on 1 run. Does that mean, we have to suddenly say it hits 253Mph? Personally, I don't agree with Guinness's rules for many records, so I, in my eyes, will still see the Veyron and the SSC as the world's fastest production cars.

386.7 KM/H is 240MPH. 391 km/h is 242 MPH.

Remember, I'm American, so I don't exactly know the proper conversions all the time thanks to the US adopting Mph instead of everyone else using Kph.

No excuse, but yeah...my bad.

 

[Famine]

So they hit the bare minimum, good for them. What's the point of still making the average car hit 160Mph? I never see anyone do those speeds even at race tracks, and yet mnufacturers allow them.

I suppose 160mph is overkill unless your country has no speed laws. It must be bragging rights or just a end result of making a very powerful car. A manufacturer would rather list their top speed as 180mph than 140mph.

The speed limit in the UK is 70mph.

Would you rather drive a car at 70mph which had a maximum aero- and gear-limited speed of 71mph or 160mph?

My car has an aero- and gear-limited speed of 141mph. At 70mph I'm barely pulling 4,000rpm in top gear. I have acceleration on tap, a quiet cabin in which I can have a conversation and 35mpg+. If I were geared/powered to 71mph I'd be running at 7,500rpm+ in top gear for 70mph, would be shaken to pieces, would never hear again and my car would need service intervals of 60 miles, not 6,000 miles, from running maximum revs in top all the time.


Not to mention the fact that the speed limit is only 70mph in the UK. Globalised car production means cars must be geared and powered for use everywhere in order to financially viable anywhere.

All of which misses any possibility of using cars on private roads/tracks and anywhere there is no set limit.

 

[harrytuttle]

Snore. Wake me up when its important. Like when they make a car that is sufficient enough to do something other than break a meaningless statistic.

Agreed. Unless it drives well at normal speeds (well, 30-150MPH I suppose) and is actually enjoyable most of the time it's really just a dragster. Lots of cars can go ridiculously fast these days, but few are worth the effort.

You speak as if you believe the pursuit to be the fastest will ever end. It won't. Since the automobile's introduction, someone's had the desire to see how fast one can go. Regardless of the current record, be it 100, 200, or 255mph, someone will want to go faster. The fastest is just never quite fast enough.

The problem with that line of thinking is that unlike 20 years ago when people were actually excited about the possibility of breaking the 200MPH "barrier", less people seem to care these days. When the XJ220 couldn't reach it's proposed 200MPH+ top speed, there was a lot of disappointment. When the Veyron hit 254, the response was indifferent at best.

While there are a number of places you can exceed 100-150MPH (most of them illegal to do so), there are incredibly few where you can hit 200 (legal or not). This is why some in the press and elsewhere are less interested in top speed and more about the "real world enjoyment": Can you enjoy those runs from 0-150 and all the speeds in between? And then there's the car's ability to turn....

 

[Tornado]

When the XJ220 couldn't reach it's proposed 200MPH+ top speed, there was a lot of disappointment.

I thought people were mad when it failed to do the 220 that its name suggests. I always thought it could go over 210?

 

[Philly]

While there are a number of places you can exceed 100-150MPH (most of them illegal to do so), there are incredibly few where you can hit 200 (legal or not). This is why some in the press and elsewhere are less interested in top speed and more about the "real world enjoyment": Can you enjoy those runs from 0-150 and all the speeds in between? And then there's the car's ability to turn....

That isn't really the point to building a 250 mph supercar. It is more having the ability to go 250 MPH rather than actually doing it that really counts. People will buy this carv (SSC) because it can go faster than anything else, not that it ever will.

But, a 250 mph car is more likely going to offer you a better experience at more "freeway" speeds of 150 and under due to the power required to hit those speeds. That power will give the car much better handling, and I'm sure some of the other high-speed requirements will make the car more enjoyable as well.

 

[Dave A]

I thought people were mad when it failed to do the 220 that its name suggests. I always thought it could go over 210?

The XJ220 hit 212mph in it's first top speed run. It later ran at 217mph with it's rev limiter increased by 600rpm and the cat removed. Thoes speeds were at the Nardo Ring and on a banked corner, the 217mpr run was equal to 223mph on a straight road. I don't know the 212mph run's figure when converted.

 

[Famine]

While there are a number of places you can exceed 100-150MPH (most of them illegal to do so), there are incredibly few where you can hit 200 (legal or not).

I disagree.

Though I will not enter into a discussion on the nature of the location, I will state that I believed my actions to be safe within reasonable margins otherwise I wouldn't have done them...

The other week, I decided to see, since the opportunity presented itself, just how fast I could cruise at comfortably. The answer was 135mph for a distance of a little over 5 miles (the car is geared/powered to 141mph and has 147mph rated tyres - so well within mechanical tolerances).

My car has 135-141hp (source depending) and can do 0-60mph in 7.7-8.6s (source depending), with a quarter-mile at 16.5s or thereabouts.

For quick comparison, even taking the optimistic margin, by the time I've hit 60mph, the Veyron is already at 120mph. By the time I've hit 100mph, the Veyron is already at 180mph. It would require no stretch of imagination to see that the Veyron is not only past, but well past, 200mph by the time I've reached 135mph, never mind maintained it for 5 miles.

One could easily replicate my little experiment on any stretch of three lane road in the United Kingdom (should you be foolish enough to do it on public roads, of course), meaning there's more than 2,200 miles of 200mph-capable public road in the UK.


For further reference, I was speaking with an employee at Gaydon Heritage Motor Museum earlier in the week. They informed me that part of the site - built on the former RAF Gaydon - is used as a test track and, in years gone by, they had witnessed, first-hand, prototypes running at in excess of 270mph there. Looking up RAF Gaydon on Google Earth, I can certainly see why.

 

[RustRunner]

Heh, now the world's fastest car looks like the world's fastest car, and not some rapper's monstrosity with a diamond-studded toilet seat for a grille

Congrats SSC, make sure you raise that speed. Europe's gonna be all over that record like white on rice...

 

[Leonidae]

Unlikely. We'll take smooth ride and easy driveability over dyno queens like that.

 

[opendriver]

Looking up RAF Gaydon on Google Earth, I can certainly see why.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...8&spn=0.024997,0.086517&t=h&z=14&iwloc=A&om=1

Wow. Thats a lot of room I can see why now

 

[JohnBM01]

"Yes! An AMERICAN automaker beat out a super-fast French car! Take that!" That would be the pro-American aspect. Most of you all know that I'm not Mr. All-America. I'm not the All-American boy on GTPlanet. Don't hate on me or say I'm unpatriotic that an automaker from my home country beat out a non-American car. To me, this is just another auto manufacturer that succeeded in taking down the Bugatti Veyron after numerous car companies and specialty firms try to top the Bugatti Veyron. I love supercars, but I'm not crazy about them. That's why I haven't taken part in discussions like this. Great job by Shelby Supercars for this deal. The SSC Ultimate Aero TT looks like a Lamborghini Diablo. Really has those cues.

I'm not real good or crazy about supercars, so I'll try to talk about as much as I can about this thing. I'm guessing the car has automatic and 4WD for stability (the 4WD part) and probably not to overrev the engine at higher speeds (automatic part). This does seem like a supercar with character because of the manual and RWD. I'll tell you this much... good luck trying to keep this car on its paces. I don't think you'll be able to conquer Spa-Francorchamps or Suzuka or someplace with a car like this. With all that power and RWD and the crazy top speed, it will seem much tougher trying to road race this machine and keeping it all together. Then too, you probably have to shift like a drag racer to keep the engine from blowing up. I think the Veyron's specs are what they are for stability with those crazy ponies.

But still the best superexotic that's an all-around car- the McLaren F1. Still the best despite its age.