The title for the fastest production car in the world is something every sports car manufacturer aspires to. And it is exactly this love for speed that gave rise to the new era of sports cars—ones that utilize state-of-the-art technology to extract every bit of performance out of their engines, regardless of the price. Carrying exclusive badges such as Bugatti or Koenigsegg, these "hypercars" today have multi-million dollar asking prices, but also go above and beyond everything that a normal sports car is capable of.
For the past few years, one of the main motivators behind the development of the most prestigious hypercars has been the race to the 300-mph mark. This kind of speed was once considered unattainable by a road-going vehicle, but now it merely represents a stepping stone for modern supercars. To find out what speeds the fastest cars in the world can hit, stay with us as we list the 15 fastest production cars ever built.
15 McLaren Speedtail: 250 MPH
A McLaren model once held the official record for the world's fastest car, and it was only a matter of time before the British supercar brand made something even faster. Introducing the McLaren Speedtail—a precision-engineered luxury hypercar built to serve as the brand's first-ever "Hyper-GT."
The hypercar combines an opulent and high-tech three-seat interior (just as the one featured in the F1) with a hybrid 4.0L twin-turbo V8 churning out a combined output of 1035 hp and 838 lb-ft of torque. This is enough to propel the Speedtail to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 250 mph. And since all that power comes intertwined with luxury and poise, the Speedtail carries a price tag of no less than $2,250,000.
14 Dauer 962 Le Mans: 251.4 MPH
Though the 962 Le Mans was envisioned fully as a GT1 supercar, 13 production versions of the car were made for it to be considered a viable candidate—and we're glad they were. The Dauer 962 debuted in 1993, featuring a 3.0L twin-turbo flat-6 engine producing 730 horsepower. This was monstrous 25 years ago, especially considering the car weighed only 2381 lbs. It was able to dash to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, and onto a top speed of 251.4 mph. Of course, this kind of performance is what earned it the iconic win at the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans.
13 Koenigsegg CCXR: 254 MPH
Following the success of the CCX, Koenigsegg made an extreme version of the car and dubbed it the CCXR, which came in only four units worldwide. The attractive supercar was re-engineered with a massively more powerful, 4.8L engine, now producing 1018 horsepower. Still the same luxury supercar, the Koenigsegg CCXR was now able to hit a top speed of over 254 mph.
12 9FF GT9: 254 MPH
Loosely based on the Porsche 911 GT3, the sole purpose behind the GT9's creation was to break speed records. Unfortunately, the car doesn't get the credit it deserves today, as only 20 units have ever been produced. Despite this, it was among the fastest cars in the world in 2008.
The GT9 may not be quick off the line, as it takes about 5.2 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standing start, but its 1120 horsepower will get it to 190 mph in just over 17 seconds, and eventually onto a top speed of 254 mph.
11 Koenigsegg Regera: 255 MPH
While the CCX and the Agera brought this Swedish hypercar manufacturer into the limelight with their raw performance, the Regera was the company's attempt to create something even more special—a lavish grand tourer focused equally on luxury and speed. The name Regera literally translates to "reign" ...and reign it does, boasting a price tag of $1.9 million as well as a hybrid drivetrain featuring a 5.0L V8 producing 1500 horsepower, clearing the way for a top speed of 255 mph.
10 SSC Ultimate Aero TT: 256 MPH
The Ultimate Aero came out when Bugatti's Veyron was at the peak of its popularity, and promptly dethroned it as the fastest production car in the world when it clocked in at 256 mph in 2007. The Ultimate Aero owes this performance to a monstrous 6.3L twin-turbo V8, pushing 1287 horsepower to the ground. And although it's priced at only $225,000, the Ultimate Aero's speed still embarrasses million-dollar hypercars today.
9 Rimac Nevera: 258 MPH
The hypercar world hasn't stopped talking about this Croatian startup's second creation ever since the Nevera effortlessly hit an incredible 8.58-second quarter-mile time in August 2021. Fully electric and powered by a set of four permanent magnet motors (one at each wheel), the Nevera generates an unbelievable 1914 hp and 1735 lb-ft of torque. With all this power going to the wheels, the Croatian electric hypercar can bolt to 60 mph in a world-record 1.85 seconds and onto a top speed of 258 mph.
8 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: 268 MPH
After the Ultimate Aero TT took away the Veyron's speed record in 2007, it was just a matter of time before Bugatti made a comeback. The company decided to re-release the Veyron in an all-new Super Sport trim, which pumped its power output up by almost 200 horses and introduced numerous aerodynamic tweaks to make it slice the air in front of it. No one doubted the new Veyron would shatter the competition when it clocked in at a top speed of 268 mph in 2010—a record that would stand for four long years after that.
7 Hennessey Venom GT: 270.5 MPH
When the Venom GT obliterated the longstanding speed record set by the Veyron Super Sport, everyone knew the Texas tuner house had what it takes to compete with the very best hypercar manufacturers. To make the fastest production car in the world, Hennessey modified the small and aerodynamic Lotus Elise by fitting it with an obscene 7.0L twin-turbo V8 churning out 1244 horsepower. On February 14, 2014, the Venom GT achieved an average top speed of 270.5 mph on a 3.2-mile run at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
6 Koenigsegg Agera R: 273 MPH
Between 2011 and 2014, Koenigsegg offered the critically acclaimed Agera in an even more exclusive "R" trim which saw its power output rise to a maximum of 1140 horsepower. Like the CCXR before it, the Agera R also had the option of running on E85 and E100 biofuel. Only 18 units of the Agera R have been sold during its production life, and despite being nine years old, this luxury hypercar is counted among the fastest production cars ever made, with a top speed of 273 mph.
5 Koenigsegg Agera RS: 278 MPH
Dubbed "the ultimate track tool," it was the track-ready version of the lauded Agera R, relying on a state-of-the-art hybrid powertrain to deliver a total power output of 1341 horses pulling only 2855 lbs of weight. In a 2017 speed record attempt in Nevada, the car achieved a top speed of 284,55 mph, while its average top speed came out at a still-incredible 278 mph.
4 SSC Tuatara: 282.9 MPH (316 MPH Claimed)
If the Tuatara's battleship-like appearance is not enough to instill confidence into its performance, then its 1750-horsepower 5.9L V8 surely is. After the lauded Ultimate Aero proved what SSC is all about in 2007, the company once again resolved to claim the world production car speed record its own. The first Tuatara already rolled off the production line, and the manufacturer claimed it will exceed the 300 mph mark. In official testing, however, the Tuatara didn't quite manage to meet these expectations, reaching an average top speed of 282.9 mph. This number still stands as the official highest top speed reached by the model, but SSC is confident their hypercar can exceed the 300-mph mark.
3 Hennessey Venom F5: 301 MPH
The Venom F5 represents Hennessey's attempt to take bake the world speed record they lost in 2017, following the success of their renowned Venom GT supercar. The F5, however, is even more ridiculous: it features a 7.4L V8 that pushes the car to 60 mph in 2 seconds flat, thanks to its lightweight frame. For the F5, Hennessey promises a top speed of at least 301 mph.
2 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+: 304 MPH
There's only one car that currently has the right to call itself "fastest," and it earned this right in August of 2019 when a modified version of the lauded Bugatti Chiron shattered every speed record before it when it recorded an absurd top speed of 304 mph. Though the car still housed the 8.0L W16 engine found in every Chiron, the record-breaking version was 10 inches longer and produced 100 more horsepower, which explains why it was dubbed the Chiron "Longtail." But the best part is, in celebration of their accomplishment, Bugatti put 30 units of the Chiron Super Sport 300+ into production.
1 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut: 330 MPH (Claimed)
Bugatti's fiercest European rival, Koenigsegg has been hard at work creating what they consider the fastest car they will ever build. That's saying a lot, coming from a brand that put no less than five models on this list and gave us the likes of the record-breaking Agera RS and Regera.
Their newest creation, the Jesko was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2019, and the Absolut version a year later. However, it's only in 2022 that the model is getting ready to hit the streets. When it does, it will boast a ridiculously powerful 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 1600 horsepower on E85 fuel. A marvel of engineering, the Jesko's engine features the world's lightest V8 flywheel and connects to a nine-speed multi-clutch transmission. The craziness doesn't stop there; the Jesko's V8 is also officially the world's fastest-revving production car engine capable of hitting a stupendous rate of 46,000 RPM per second. What this all means for performance are a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds and a theoretical top speed of 330 mph, as per Koenigsegg's virtual simulations.