A #tbt of titles and tyres

I was thinking how far we’ve come in the past few years since the turn of the millennium, especially in car terms. I mean, we were popping cassettes into our car just the other day, now we streaming our music like it’s no big deal. In car terms that actually matter, The F1 changed the world with 618 bhp. Now the current record holder has that + change.

So I thought I’d chronicle which cars were the best of their time. Not that this isn’t common knowledge, just to see how the speed grew in proportion to horsepower. Without further ado…

1. Mclaren F1

McLaren F1, F1 LM & F1 GTR

• Record on: 1998
• Held until: 2005
• 0 – 60 mph: 3.2 sec
• Top speed: 240 mph/386 kph
• Power: 618 bhp
• Weight: 1,138 kg
• Engine: 6.1 L V12
• Power to weight ratio: 559 bhp/ton
• Cars made: 106(+variations)

This car is freaking iconic. Gold in the engine, because it reflects heat best. Insane money (back then) for the insane performance. The driver and 2 terrified passengers. The owners list is the stuff galas dream of. And that’s before you get to the special variants.

The F1 LM was made to commemorate Mclaren finishing the 1995 24 hours of LeMans. They had reason to celebrate, too: on their very first try, they snagged 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th positions(2 bowed out). For comparison, Toyota, a company with so much money they have their own city, had to mount a 3 year campaign in order to finally cinch the top of the podium, including this heartbreaking run.

Only 5 were sold, but Mclaren keep a 6th. It’s probably to guilt trip motivate the Woking Warriors to work harder than the competition. It’s got 1,062 kg with the engine developing 671-680 bhp (your mileage may vary) and a 225 mph/362 kph top speed.

The F1 GTR ‘Longtail‘ is even rarer, with only 2 ever made – bar the one Mclaren kept for themselves, obviously. This came about because of the rules in FIA GT racing. While Mclaren technically only had to build one – and not sell even that – the demand became so great that they built the extra pair. #goodguymclaren

Also, speaking of mounting campaigns, the F1 was first built in 1993, but it took until 1998 to cinch the record. Incidentally, that’s the same year production ended.

And it’s still the fastest car in the world in one regard: the rest of the record holders use forced induction, but not the F1.

2. Koenigsegg CCX

The Competition Coupe X caught in a rare moment of inactivity.

• Record on: Feb 2005
• Held until: April 2005
• 0 – 60 mph: 3.7 sec
• Top speed: 387 kph/241 mph
• Power: 806 bhp
• Weight: 1180 kg
• Engine: 4.7 L twin-supercharged V8
• Power to weight ratio: 694 bhp/ton
• Cars made: 14

 How do you build the perfect hypercar? There are two schools of thought on that: passion vs precision. In the red corner, fueled by passion, stand Pagani and Ferrari. In the blue corner, held in the calming embrace of figures, stand Koenigsegg and Mclaren.

As you can see, the blue corner has more world records between them, but the red corner have more photos and wallpapers than all the pop acts currently in the world combined. (Not fact.)

But honestly, it doesn’t matter. Because the fact that machines like these exist are pretty damn awe inspiring. And to think this one basically started with a hope and a dream.

Unfortunately, the Swede’s reign was a bit too short lived.

3. Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4

Pretty smug, probably for having snatched the record from Koenigsegg .

• Record on: April 2005
• Held until: 2007
• 0 – 60 mph: 2.8 sec
• Top speed: 408 kph/253 mph
• Power: around 1000 bhp(mileage may vary)
• Weight: 1888 kg
• Engine: 8 L twin-supercharged W16
• Power to weight ratio: 539 bhp/ton
• Cars made: 450(total includes variants)

If you watch the animated movie ‘The Incredibles’, there’s a scene where Dash is finally allowed to run track, but so that he isn’t discovered to be using abilities, has to make it close. For me, that’s what best describes this car.

Well, that and Jeremy Clarkson’s catchprase: POWER!!!!!!

Because this was truly an ode to power. The Bugatti brand is owned by Volkswagen and in the early 2000s, under Ferdinand Piech, they looked at supercars and decided to crush the sector utterly tentatively enter the fray by bringing one of Piech’s dreams to reality. And what they came up with was a monster that almost defies belief.

The engine? Oh, that develops 1200 bhp, but customers get a sportscar-worthy 200 bhp deducted because of technical reasons. Also, it gets pretty hot, so it needs 10 radiators, which takes 150 hours to build. And there are no slackers on this ship,er car… – 3 heat exchangers for the air-to-liquid intercoolers, 3 engine radiators, 1 for the air conditioning system, 1 transmission oil radiator, 1 differential oil radiator and 1 engine oil radiator.

The 16.4? That’s because it has 16 cylinders and 4 turbochargers. Top speed? 408 km/h, but not only does it go through 45,000 L of air per minute then(which humans take 4 days to get through, btw), it cannibalizes its tank(of 100 L, btw) in 12 minutes. (Out of curiosity, I did a bit of math and taking out the minute where you’ll accelerate to full speed, you’ll cover 74.8 km in that time.) The braking? Don’t worry about it – thanks to an airbrake, 400 to nothing in under 10 seconds, but you’ll take half a kilometer to do that.

Got a puncture? Well, apart from the $25,000 of the tyres themselves, there’s a $70,000 service charge. And you thought your mechanic was ripping you off. But surely it must be cheaper somewhere else? Nope, only one place in the world offers that service – in France. But hey, at least they’re run flats. And if all that on top of the base price puts you off, don’t worry – there are 450 people in the world who don’t have the same qualms, probably because it’s a hell of a bargain.

Overkill, Veyron is thy name.

4. SSC Ultimate Aero TT

The only American officially on the list… for now

• Record on: 2007
• Held until: 2010
• 0 – 60 mph: 2.6 sec
• Top speed: 412 kph/256 mph
• Power: 1287 bhp
• Weight: 1247 kg
• Engine: 6.3 L twin-turbocharged V8
• Power to weight ratio: 964 bhp/ton
• Cars made: 24

There is a simple formula to going faster. Ditch the weight, add the power. So leave it to an American to not only do that, but manage to eke out one of the highest power-to-weight ratios ever. Hell, by the time it came out, it was the most powerful thing you could buy straight from a dealer(tuners probably look at that figure and scoff.) With that power and a kerb weight lessened by removing essential driving aids pesky electronic nuisances , like antilock brakes and traction control, it gave new meaning to the phrase ‘accelerating like a bat out of hell’.

Unfortunately for it, people kinda sorta forget it exists nowadays, which is a shame. Oh well, not every car wins the hearts and minds of everyone – only the record will have to do… for now.

5. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Back in Black.

• Record on: 2010
• Held until: wait for it …
• 0 – 60 mph: 2.5 sec
• Top speed: 431 kph/267 mph(😂)
• Power: 1184 bhp
• Weight: 1888 kg
• Engine: 8 L twin-supercharged W16
• Power to weight ratio: 652 bhp/ton
• Cars made: 30+5(World Record Edition)

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘hold my beer.’ It’s a catchphrase said before attempting a dangerous and/or ill-advised stunt, probably because someone egged someone else on. The SuperSport, to me, feels like one of those moments.

Why? Well, remember around 5 seconds ago when I was going through the engine specifications for the Bugatti and mentioned 200 ponies were locked away? Well, the engineers found a way for them to roam free on this iteration – most of them, anyway. And remember when you felt phantom pains when you saw how much it was to get tyres for it? Well, apparently with this version, the speed is limited to 415 kph(which is slightly faster than its previous iteration, admittedly) because if they let it really rip, the tyres would disintegrate.

And yet, Bugatti allowed 5 people to enjoy the white-knuckle euphoria of owning one with the limiter removed – the SuperSport World Record Edition. I guess the customer knows best after all.

6. Koenigsegg Agera RS

Agera means act. And boy, does this Swede have a Really Special one.

• Record on: 2017(apparently)
• 0 – 60 mph: 2.8 sec
• Top speed: 447 kph/278 mph
• Power: 1160 bhp(on petrol,power higher on E85), 1341 bhp(optional 1Mw spec,actual record holder)
• Weight: 1295 kg
• Engine: 5 L twin-supercharged V8
• Power to weight ratio: 991 bhp/ton
• Cars made: 25

So before I started this article, if you’d have asked me the fastest car in the world, I’d have pointed square to the Hennessey Venom GT. And if you’d have asked me which Koenigsegg I could have if I was to ever challenge it, I’d have taken the One:1, counting on its unique power to weight ratio, slim frame and insane power(1 Mw=1341 bhp) to best the virile Venom.

Turns out, I was so close, but no cigar.

See, while my faith in the One:1 wasn’t misplaced (it had 6 world records to its name as of 2015) the RS not only beat the previous 0-400-0 record, it came back and did it once again on the day it beat the speed record.

However, it seems Guinness were tired of the Swedes always calling them up to confirm some record or other broken, because as of now, it has still not been recognized by the World Record committee.

And even if/when that happens, they won’t enjoy it for long…

The future

Let me paint you a picture.

Koenigsegg finally get the recognition they deserve by being awarded the world’s fastest production car in Feb. In March, 2 new competitors finally launch on the market and duke it out, with the Agera finally forced to cede the crown in April.

If that sounds familiar, it’s what happened in 2005. Well, not exactly, but history not only has a tendency of repeating itself, it has a warped sense of humor.

OK, the part about Koenigsegg being given the title this year is just speculation. What isn’t is the competition.

But a few similarities first. They’re both American. Both of them have gone for the record before(with one cinching it). Both of them are aiming to break the 300 mph/482 kph barrier. And both are coming this year.

Hennessey F5

Straight out of Split/Second, Venom’s sequel is expected to have a devastating impact this year.

• Top speed: Above 300 mph
• Power: 1600 bhp
• Weight: 1338 kg
• Engine: 7.4 L twin-turbocharged V8
• Power to weight ratio: 1196 bhp/ton
• Cars (to be) made: 25

There’s a reason why nobody has ever gone this fast before. Of course, cars like this exist to throw reason out of the window – to show you not what is, but what could be. And taking into account the car’s predecessor and the kick-ass name, you know it means business.

It better. Cause this is a triple threat match.

SSC Tuatara

Where its going, it doesn’t need side mirrors.

• Top speed: Above 300 mph
• Power: 1750 bhp
• Weight: 1247 kg
• Engine: 5.9 L twin-turbocharged V8
• Power to weight ratio: 1196 bhp/ton
• Cars (to be) made: 100

Some things take a long time, good things doubly so. But even then, having to wait 8 years for a replacement to the Aero (the car was announced in 2011) has meant that there are now bigger targets for this lizard to aim for. But it definitely looks up to the challenge. And having waited for it for so long provided one weird benefit – it’s already in a couple of games, so you can at least see how gorgeous it looks as you blast by your opponents.

So that’s the speed list. Know of any I might have left out? Any interesting tidbits I didn’t touch on? Leave it in the comments.