Speed and performance can be measured in various ways, acceleration, quarter-mile, but the one that describes the fastest car most accurately is top speed.

Groundbreaking sports cars of the late 1980s, notably Porsche's 959 and its rival, the Ferrari F40, is among the first production cars ever to break the magic 200mph barrier, with dozens of modern cars easily exceeding this figure.

During the following decade, carmakers launched ever more powerful and faster cars producing some of the most iconic sports cars ever produced, even if some were just thinly disguised racing cars.

10 1991 Cizeta Moroder V16T - 204 mph

Italian Supercar

No prizes for guessing ex-Lamborghini engineers were behind Cizeta's V16T, based on an early Diablo design before being toned down a bit for then-owners Chrysler. Four headlights seem crazy? Not as mad as its engine with 16 cylinders in its V configuration the result of welding two V8 units together. Producing 547hp bestowed the V16T with its stunning performance capabilities, reaching 62mph in 4.5 seconds racing on to a tested top speed of 204mph.

Cizeta Moroder V16T
Via Autodata

Production spanned just 5 years with 20 cars completed, though the company resumed production in 2006 - building coupes and roadster versions on a made to order basis.

9 1995 Lamborghini Diablo SV - 204 mph

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Dozens of Diablo variations appeared over its eleven-year life span, with the Sport Veloce edition arriving in 1995, dropping the all-wheel-drive system but gaining a power boost to 510hp. Easily identifiable by the inclusion of its rear wing, and the roof-mounted air-intakes feeding its 5.7-liter V12. Many owners claim the SV is a more rewarding driver's car even if its top speed of 204 mph needs a lot of courage to reach.

Coys Of Kensington

Super Veloce branding first appeared in the late 1960s on Lamborghinis' first mid-engined supercar, the Miura, with SV denoting a faster more extreme version.

RELATED: 9 Greatest Lamborghinis Ever Made (1 That Was Terrible)

8 1998 Mercedes CLK-GTR - 214 mph

Car Magazine

Required to produce 25 road-going versions of their CLK racing car, Mercedes developed the road going GTR version, with the last five examples delivered in Roadster form. Free from racing regulations, customer versions featured a larger 6.9-liter engine developing 604hp pushing the GTR to its top speed of 214mph.

Girardo

At the time of launch costing $1.547 million, it was the most expensive production car in the world, exclusivity boosting values with models shifting for $5 million in today's market.

7 1995 - RUF CTR2 - 217 mph

Auto Classics

At first glance just another Porsche 911? Closer inspection reveals this Ruf CTR2 is no ordinary 911 with a revised 3.6-liter engine rated at 580hp. A carmaker in its own right, Ruf using chassis' produced by Porsche (no serial numbers) and build their own faster more powerful 911 derivatives with the CTR2 reaching 217mph.

Top Gear

A specially developed motorsport "Yellowbird" edition with further performance upgrades, raising output to 703hp, competed for the 1997 Pikes Peak title, claiming 2nd place overall.

RELATED: 10 Awesome Pictures Of Modified Porsches You Need To See

6 Jaguar XJ220 - 217 mph

Autoexpress

In prototype specifications, Jaguars XJ220 had everything going for it, from its all-wheel-drive system and race-tuned V12 engine and designed top speed of 220mph. Cost implications and engineering issues changed things drastically, opting for a smaller turbocharged V6 engine generating 542hp. Regardless of its reduced specification, Jaguar achieved a 217mph (cats removed) record at the Nardo test facility in 1993.

Top Gear

Developed with the assistance of TWR racing, Jaguar entered Le Mans taking victory only later to be disqualified with the XJ220C found to be missing catalytic convertors required for entry in the GT Class.

5 1993 Vector W8 - 218 mph

Car And Driver

If Vector's W8 could have reached its claimed top speed of 242mph, it would have been the fastest production car until the arrival of the mighty Veyron. Unfortunately, testing yielded a maximum of 218mph with the W8's 6-liter turbocharged V8 producing 625hp being held back by high-drag high-downforce wing design.

Photo Voiture

Vector Aeromotive completed 22 examples of their W8 model between 1989-93, with the type replaced with a more modern design designated W12.

4 Bugatti EB110 Supersport - 218 mph

Motorlix

Returning the once-famous Bugatti name to production, 1991 saw the launch of the company's EB110 model with very impressive specs to back up the brand's image. Supersport models with uprated engines producing 611hp and a lighter chassis claimed the outright speed record for a production car reaching 218mph (221mph factory claimed)

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Styling-wise, it is not one of the better supercars produced, but the EB110 more than makes up with a 3.5-liter V12 engine with four turbochargers, a feature carried over to Bugatti's Veyron models.

RELATED: Here’s Why The Bugatti EB110 Remains A Supercar Legend Today

3 1998 Nissan R390 GT1 - 220 mph

Left Lane

Scoring some success in 1995 with the Skyline GT1, Nismo turned to UK based TWR to design and develop a GT1 for road use, resulting in the R390 GT1. Borrowing from the XJR-15 design, when fitted with new front and rear suspension assemblies produced a slightly bigger platform improving stability and handling. With a weight saving in mind, Nissan resurrected their VRH35Z engine, a 3.5-liter aluminum unit capable of producing 550hp.

GT Spirit

Only one R390 GT1 has been built and currently resides at Nissan's Zarma factory without ever having proven its claimed 220mph top speed.

2 1993 McLaren F1 - 241 mph

VietNam.net

Arguably still one of the finest supercars ever produced, McLaren's F1 supercar set new standards for design, power, and performance, reaching 231mph - largely due to the adoption of F1 construction techniques. Its entire chassis composed of carbon-fiber, keeping curb weight down to 2500lbs. With 618hp on tap courtesy of BMW's S70/2 V12 engine providing the raw grunt.

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Much publicized at launch, due to heat dissipation the F1's engine bay is lined with gold, the lightest heat reflective material available with 16grams used on each F1.

RELATED: Can Gordon Murray’s Newly Unveiled Supercar Really Beat The McLaren F1?

1 1994 Porsche Dauer 962 - 251 mph

Cars

Making no attempt to hide its Le Mans racer origins, constructed using genuine Porsche 962 racing body shells stripped down and updated with carbon-fiber to produced its road-legal Dauer 962. Without the need to adhere to racing regulations, the road-going 962 featured twin-turbocharged 3-liter engines producing 730hp, giving the Dauer 962 a tested top speed of 251mph.

Fav Cars

Never seriously intending to produce a road-going racing car, Dauer and Porsche exploited "holes" in the GT-1 racing regulations, resulting in the fastest production car before the arrival of the Veyron

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