Everybody likes to go fast. Going fast is fun. Going fast is awesome. Bottom line, being at high-speed is definitely addictive.
We have quite a handful of machines that can be driven fast. Going back to the earlier of the 20th century, the first car to hold the record of highest top speed was the Jaguar XJ220 with 350 km/h back in 1992. It held the record for two years, which was also the year its production was ended. Then, came the magnificent McLaren F1, which topped 372 km/h after an official run in 1998, instantly setting it up as the fastest car of the century. However, that was with the rev-limiter. Without it, it went up to an astonishing 391 km/h.
The record held on pretty much since, until in 2005, one Italian super car manufacturer, Bugatti, came up with the Veyron. Designed and developed by the Volkswagen Group, it broke McLaren’s record by 17 km/h, which means a scary 408 km/h through its monstrous quad-turbocharged 8.0L W16 engine. Two years later though, its top speed was beaten by SSC Ultimate Aero, a car manufactured by small American company SSC, which reached a top speed of 413 km/h. From 2007 until 2012, it became the new champion of fastest car. Bugatti claimed back the “Fastest Car” title with a reworked Bugatti Veyron, called the Super Sport. Power was brought up from already-massive 1001HP to completely-biblical 1200HP, thanks to larger turbines and improved aero. With the power increase, top speed was also increased from 408 km/h to 431 km/h.
The Veyron has regained its title. BUT, there is a plan for an even faster Veyron. To be rolled out sometimes this year, the fittingly-named SuperVeyron (based on the Super Sport) will have a top speed of 463 km/h; The super-super car will also have a weight reduction of around 250kg, bringing it down from a portly 1880kg to a fitter 1600kg through a more extensive use of carbon fibre body panels. In comparison, Lamborghini Aventador stands at 1,575kg with 700hp 6.5L V12 that enables an acceleration 0f 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds; Ferrari’s fastest model, the F12 Berlinetta, stands at 1,630kg with 730HP 6.3L V12 with an acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 3.1 seconds.
The SuperVeyron? It will get an upsized capacity from 8.0L to 9.6L (with the similar quad-turbocharger set-up). Power will be a shattering 1,600HP, and acceleration is said to be F1-rivaling 0-100 km/h in 1.8 seconds! Fast enough, now? 400HP of power upgrade certainly does sound like one, and the world is obviously eager for an even faster road-legal land-rocket
