Trying to categorize supercars as fast and slow seems ridiculous - after all, even the slowest supercars on the market today are faster than almost anything else on the road. And when taking into consideration the price tags and the sheer amount of engineering that goes into manufacturing one of those speed monsters.
Supercars are a true testament not only to the brilliance of peak automotive design but also to its evolution over the years. And to illustrate that, we've compiled a list comparing the fastest supercars of today to some of the slowest from the past. And to really show how much automotive engineering has progressed, we've ranked them by top speed from lowest to highest. So put your seatbelts on because things are about to get fast.
10 DeTomaso Pantera - 159 MPH
American muscle meets Italian design is the best way to describe the DeTomaso Pantera. Designed by the Turin-based Carrozzeria Ghia and powered by Ford's 5.8l Clevland V8 tuned for 330 hp, the Pantera was a brutal answer to the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the day.
But while its looks were stunning and the exhaust note was to die for, the performance was not quite on par with its competitors. 60 mph was achieved in 5.5 seconds from standstill, and the speedometer maxed out at 159 mph. While these numbers were definitely impressive for 1971, making the Pantera a real supercar, today you can achieve the same speed in a Mercedes C-Class - without having to fear for your life.
9 Lamborghini Miura P400 - 171 MPH
If not for the decision to rank the cars on their speed by their respective top speed, the Miura would've been first. After all, it is considered to be the world's first true supercar. The Miura singlehandedly established the standards by which we can now differentiate a supercar from a very fast sports car. Gorgeously crazy looks, the engine behind the driver's back, and an eye-watering price-tag.
However, the most important and influential aspect of the Miura was its performance. With the top speed of 171 mph, achieved thanks to the 350 hp 4.0l V12, the Miura was the world's fastest car when it was released.
8 Ferrari 288 GTO - 189 MPH
The reason why we picked the 288 GTO instead of the 250 GTO or the F40 is that nowadays, it's somewhat forgotten. And this is a real shame because the 288 was a brilliant car for its time. Unlike other Ferrari models at the time, the 288 was powered by a twin-turbocharged engine - a 2.9-liter V8, to be exact.
The modified version of this powertrain later powered the F40 - so the car community really owes the 288 a huge favor. With 395 hp and only 2,557 pounds of weight, the 288 GTO sprinted from 0 to 60 in only 4.3 seconds and went on to reach the 189 mph top speed.
7 Porsche 959 - 198 MPH
If the 288 GTO and the F40 were all about brutal power, the Porsche 959 was about over-engineering. Just like the Ferrari above, the 959 was designed with the bonkers Group B rally racing in mind. Hence the sophisticated four-wheel-drive system and the sequential twin-turbocharging.
When it first came out, the 959 was considered the most technologically sophisticated road car ever - and also the fastest. Getting to 198 mph with "only" 444 hp is impressive even today, especially for a car that had a separate gear for off-roading.
6 McLaren F1 - 221 MPH
It only seems fair to end the "slow" section of this article with the McLaren F1. Ask a random car enthusiast what they think the greatest car ever made is, and chances are, they will probably mention the F1. And it's easy to see why - the explanation of the technological breakthroughs and innovations that defined the F1 would require more than a single article.
What many people tend to forget, however, is that it wasn't only the innovations that made the F1 into the supreme driving machine that it is. In fact, the main recipe behind it was quite simple: low weight and high power. And with 618 hp and only 2,509 lbs of weight, it doesn't come as a surprise that the F1 held the title of the fastest road-going car for over 10 years.
5 SSC Ultimate Aero TT - 256 MPH
There is one specific number that, in our opinion, separates fast supercars from the truly insane ones: 250. Miles per hour, that is. The SSC Ultimate Aero TT didn't break the 250 mph barrier first - among road-going production cars, this honor goes to the original Bugatti Veyron.
But the Aero TT nevertheless deserves a spot on this list for one simple reason: manual transmission. Can you imagine what it must feel like to change your own gears while approaching the 256 mph top speed? Unless you're lucky enough to have driven an Aero TT, we doubt it.
4 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport - 267 MPH
When the SSC Ultimate Aero TT surpassed the original Veyron as the world's fastest car, the engineers at Volkswagen went back to the drawing board. The result of their hard work was the Veyron Super Sport - a meaner, more powerful version of the Veyron.
The power was bumped to a healthy 1,184 hp, which allowed the Super Sport to achieve the bonkers 267 mph top speed. In the World Record Edition examples, that is. The top speed of the "normal" Veyron Super Sport was electronically limited to 258 mph - at 9 miles per hour more the tires would only last for 15 minutes.
3 Hennessey Venom GT - 270 MPH
The Hennessey Venom GT is the Marmite of supercars. Some love it for the fact that it broke the world speed record in 2014, outrunning the Veyron SS by 3 mph. Others hate it because the record was never officially registered, and the Venom GT is nothing but a stripped-down, overpowered Lotus Exige anyway.
Still, facts are facts and 270 mph is a crazy number - especially when you find out that it comes courtesy of the good ol' LS V8. Thanks to a pair of turbochargers, the madmen at Hennessey managed to squeeze 1,244 hp out of the trusty Small Block. Jeremy Clarkson would be proud.
2 Koenigsegg Agera RS - 277 MPH
If you refuse to choose between brute, outrageous power, and brilliant engineering, you'd probably get along well with Christian von Koenigsegg. The Agera RS is a true testament to both. On one hand, you have a 5.0l twin-turbocharged V8 that's capable of as much as 1,341 hp. On the other hand, there are technological novelties, such as carbon nanotubes used to backlight the interior buttons.
But we're not here to talk about the buttons in the Agera RS. We're here to talk about its top speed. In November 2017, it broke the world speed record, clocking at 278 mph. And keep in mind, this was the average of two runs - during the first one, the Agera RS managed to get all the way up to 285 mph. Talk about crazy.
1 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ - 304 MPH
It would've been hard to imagine a supercar, other than a Bugatti, at the top of this list, wouldn't it? The latest hardcore version of the Chiron - the Super Sport 300+ - proudly holds the title of the fastest car in the world. In August 2019, Bugatti measured the top speed of 304.77 mph, achieved by a pre-production prototype of the Super Sport 300+.
While the production versions have their top speed electronically limited to 261 mph - once again, due to the tires - we are absolutely certain that the Chiron would feel absolutely comfortable at even higher speeds. The bigger question is, however, for how long would Bugatti feel comfortable on the speed pedestal. After all, the competitors such as Hennessey and Koenigsegg aren't exactly idling.