“Furious 7” and the Cars We Want
If you have a need for speed then there is no doubt you have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the film Fast and Furious 7 on April 3. This popular movie franchise understands the world wide love of fast cars. Nowhere will you be able to see so many high speed cars in one place. With two of their models featured in the film, Dodge is advertising the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and Charger R/T Scat Pack with clips from the movie. With everyone wanting their own piece of adrenaline heaven, this got us thinking, what are the fastest cars out there?
The Rules of Speed
First we should clarify what kind of cars we are talking about. For the purpose of this article we are talking about street legal production series cars. “Production” meaning that at least 20 or more models were built by the manufacturer and all of them meet the same or faster specifications. Any one of these cars should be able to achieve the speed record the test model does given the same conditions.
Racing Into the Record Books
Believe it or not, there is no set standard for measuring the top speed of these kinds of supercars and no central authority to substantiate any claims that are made. Hard to believe since everything seems to be regulated these days! The automotive industry generally groups these record-breaking cars into two classes; the ones that set their top speed going in a single direction only and those that race in two different directions. The Guinness Book of World Records requires that a car achieve its speed record by racing in two different directions and is one of at least 30 production models that have been sold. No one says it is easy to become the world’s fastest car.
Hennessey Venom GT – 270.49 mph
On February 14, 2014 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 2015 Hennessey Venom GT was clocked at 270.49 mph on a 3.22 mile landing strip once used by the space shuttles. This phenomenal feat gave Hennessey Performance Engineering out of Texas the bragging rights for having the fastest car around, yet it still has not achieved the Guinness World Record. Hennessey’s test was only in one direction and so far only 16 of their cars have been sold. Guinness requires 30 to be sold. It’s hard to believe that more of these incredible speedsters aren’t on the road, but with a price tag starting at $1 million some of us will have to just look.
Bugatti Holds the Record Again
The Guinness Record belongs to the 2015 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which set an amazing speed of 268 mph and conducted their test run in two directions, thus meeting the standards set by Guinness. This model will only cost you around $2.3 million. No one says buying the world’s fastest car is cheap. Rounding out the top five fastest cars are the Porsche 918 Spyder (0-60 in 2.5 seconds.), the McLaren P1 (0-60 in 2.8 seconds.), and the Lamborghini Aventador LP (0-60 in 2.9 sec).
Hennessey Venom F5 – a Storm is Coming
Records are meant to be broken, right? Well, that’s what the folks at Hennessey are attempting to do. They promise their new model, the Venom F5, will blow away all the competition. It is named after the strongest category on the Fujita tornado scale. The Venom F5 website (www.venomgt.com/venom-f5) claims that “with the fury of a Texas tornado 290 miles per hour is within reach”. Thirty models are being produced at a price tag of around $1.2 million each. The Hennessey Venom F5 is set to debut sometime this year.
Take Your Seat – It’s Going to be a Fast Ride
The age old question of which is the fastest is always going to be up for debate. Whether you like the sleek, high tech supercars like a Hennessey or the Bugatti or a muscle car with power to spare like a Dodge Charger, it is all a matter of taste and the size of your wallet. Sometimes the best (and safest) way to enjoy a fast car is up on the movie screen with a bucket of popcorn in your hands. Enjoy the movie and the cars!
Collector and Classic Car Insurance for Less
A fast car may be just the ticket. Before your need for speed sends you out into the streets, let our friendly staff at Classic Auto Insurance help you find the right policy for your needs. Visit our website at www.classicins.com and see how we can help safeguard your dream car.
