For as long as automobiles have existed, there have always been manufacturers obsessed with one thing: speed. There are of course multiple ways to measure this, with one way being circuit lap times. The Nurburgring has established itself as the de facto proving ground for records of that type, with carmakers regularly debuting new times that shave fractions of a second off the previous record in an attempt to establish 'Ring dominance.
Away from the circuit though, a different kind of speed battle can be found. This one revolves around all-out maximum velocity, the simple top speed that a car can achieve in a straight line. It's a battle that's been fiercely contested for decades now, and it's led to some of the most high-profile manufacturer rivalries of recent years. Ever since the '80s when supercars entered the market, a new challenger has stepped up to the plate every few years, raising the stakes and pushing those mph figures to unbelievable heights. Let's take a look back through the history of the production car speed record and revisit its ten most recent titleholders.
10 Porsche 959
The Eighties had seen a flurry of speed records after a dry spell in the Seventies, with the Lamborghini Countach and the Ferrari 288 GTO battling it out for the crown between 1982 and 1984. In 1986, a new contender, Porsche, entered the field.
The 959 comfortably beat both the Ferrari and the Lamborghini, with a top speed of 197 mph in contrast to the previous record of 188 mph. The 959's victory may have been decisive, but it was to be short-lived.
9 Ferrari F40
Just one year after the 959 set the record, Ferrari came back with a new contender, the F40. The first in a landmark series of "F" cars, the F40 was the first production car to ever break the 200 mph barrier, recording a top speed of 202.7 mph.
The F40 has become one of the brand's most famous cars ever, but it would mark the last time that the brand would ever contest the overall speed title. After the F40, they pivoted towards making handling their priority over top speed, an ethos that they've maintained through to today.
8 Ruf CTR2
With Ferrari no longer willing to chase the record, there was room at the top for a new challenger. The Ruf CTR2 turned out to be exactly that, with an official record in 1995 set at 217 mph. However, it wasn't the only challenger aiming for the title. Several controversies and disqualifications meant that many of the car's rivals were ruled out.
A Vector W8 prototype had reportedly achieved a top speed of 240 mph during testing, but no official run was ever made with a production model. The Jaguar XJ220 also achieved a speed of 217 mph in 1992, although this run was later decertified because of a lack of independent verification and questions over whether or not the car had been modified.
7 McLaren F1
With all this controversy surrounding the speed record, it was a welcome relief when McLaren debuted their now-legendary F1 and comfortably beat everyone. A road-legal, production F1 was independently certified as reaching a top speed of 221 mph, putting it firmly at the top of the table.
What's even more impressive is that the F1 achieved this with a rev limiter in place. Later runs with privately-owned cars that had taken the limiter off saw top speeds of over 240 mph, although these claims were never independently verified.
6 Koenigsegg CCR
The McLaren's record stood for several years before any challenger emerged, but by the early 2000s, it became clear that startup supercar maker Koenigsegg was getting pretty close. In 2005, they managed to officially take the title with their newest creation, the CCR.
With a certified top speed of 241 mph, the CCR broke the record by a total of 20 mph, and it seemed like Koenigsegg was unbeatable in the top spot. However, that wasn't to last, as the Bugatti Veyron would debut just a few short months later.
5 Bugatti Veyron
The Veyron needs no further introduction to anyone with any knowledge of cars, as its legacy has already been firmly cemented into automotive culture. In 2005, the same year as the CCR's record, Bugatti managed to take the Veyron to a top speed of 253.8 mph, smashing the previous figure.
The Veyron drew huge amounts of attention for this record-breaking run, although it didn't hold the title for that long. It took just two years for a new contender to come along and break this record, although Bugatti would later return to the title fight.
4 SSC Ultimate Aero TT
In 2007, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT just about managed to knock the Veyron off its top spot, setting a certified top speed of 256 mph. Despite beating one of the most famous cars in the world at that point, SSC never managed to draw the same level of publicity with their record.
Perhaps that was down to the Ultimate Aero's unremarkable looks, or perhaps it was because it didn't debut with as much groundbreaking technology as the Veyron did. Either way, it mostly remained the forgotten third competitor while the Bugatti and Koenigsegg rivalry drew most of the headlines.
3 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
The revised and improved version of the Veyron came along in 2010 and set a new landmark speed, with 267.9 mph achieved and verified by Guinness World Records. However, the record later came under fire as customer versions of the car were electronically limited to 258 mph.
After a period of discussion between the Guinness officials and Bugatti, it was decided that the record would stand as the electronic limiter on customer cars could be removed and the limiter itself did not materially affect the car's potential capabilities.
2 Koenigsegg Agera RS
After the Bugatti's record in 2010, American tuner Hennessey attempted to take the record with their Venom GT supercar, achieving 270.49 mph in an independently verified run. However, the Venom GT used was not a production car and didn't have a Hennessey VIN, so the record was discredited. That means the next official titleholder was the Koenigsegg Agera RS.
In 2017, Koenigsegg shut down a highway in Nevada to attempt a two-way, independently verified run, and came away successful, with a new record of 277.9 mph. That record has since been beaten, although a cloud of controversy has surrounded the new record.
1 SSC Tuatara
In 2020, an SSC Tuatara was recorded as achieving a top speed of 316 mph, which would have made it the first car to ever break the 300 mph barrier. However, the company later admitted those claims were false, and that it couldn't verify whether it had even hit 300 mph or not.
It did record a separate, two-way run with verifiable speeds of 282.9 mph, beating the Agera RS, although there were questions over whether the car used was homologated for road use or not. So, although it seems that the Tuatara is the fastest current road car, the Koenigsegg Agera RS still holds the official record in the eyes of many.