EVERY HYPERCAR GUNNING FOR THE 300-MPH CROWN

Ever since the invention of the car, one of the main performative goals targeted by automakers has been to achieve increasingly high speeds. As officially sanctioned speed record attempts became a reality, every car company joined the race to be the fastest production car on the market. In recent years, the domain of eye-watering speeds has belonged to the world of hypercars, high-tech supercars with the most advanced mechanical technology available.

While top speed records remained stagnant for a while when the McLaren F1 was king, the Bugatti Veyron signified a new era for the hypercar by breaching 250 mph for the first time, and since then the numbers have only climbed higher. The next benchmark to beat is the magical number 300, and in the race to 300 mph, a few potential claimants to the top-speed throne have emerged.

Hennessey Venom F5

Simulated Top Speed: 328 MPH

Ever since the launch of the Venom F5 hypercar, Hennessey has established itself as a player in the race to break the 300-mph barrier for a production car. Founder John Hennessey made the company’s intentions clear, stating that an attempt would be made to break the record in two directions. A successful and officially recorded attempt would set Hennessey apart from Bugatti, which broke the 300-mph barrier in a non-production prototype and in one direction only.

The Venom F5 is powered by a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8, producing 1,817 horsepower, paired with a seven-speed single-clutch semi-automated transmission. Combined with a low curb weight due to its carbon fiber monocoque, and an aerodynamic body, the Venom F5 is theoretically capable of breaking that magical 300 mph barrier, but it hasn't done so yet. It's crested 200 mph with ease, and in a recent half-mile sprint, it set a new record of 221.92 mph, but the 300 mph run will only happen at the earliest later this year.

What Hennessey Says About The Venom F5's Top Speed

300 mph is a figure John Hennessey is confident of, but the theory behind the Venom F5 suggests it can go even faster.

John Hennessey told CarBuzz he wants to average 300 mph over two directions, but is aiming for a single-direction run north of 500 km/h (310.686 mph).

Bugatti Tourbillon

Simulated Top Speed: Unknown

Bugatti is no stranger to top speed records, resetting the benchmark with the Veyron, and then again with the Veyron Super Sport. Then, after then-CEO Stephan Winkelmann suggested Bugatti wouldn't chase top speed records with the Chiron, a modified prototype broke 300 mph, reaching 304 mph and inspiring a special edition called the Chiron Super Sport 300+. So why are we still debating who will be first to break 300? Because the Chiron was a modified prototype, not a production-spec car, and the run only occurred in a single direction.

But the Chiron is now out of production, and a new contender from the French brand has been unveiled: the Tourbillon. Its design has been described by Bugatti as being “shaped by speed”, which is a good indicator of what the company is aiming for with its latest creation. The Tourbillon is also the first Bugatti model in over 20 years not to be powered by a W16 engine, instead opting for an 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 paired with three electric motors in a hybrid powertrain. The total power output is nearly 1,800 hp, approximately 1,000 of which are supplied by the combustion engine and 800 by the electric motors. But there's a caveat to the Tourbillon's claim to 300 mph: customer cars are limited to 276 mph.

What Bugatti Says About A 300-MPH Attempt

It's true the Tourbillon is limited to 276 mph, but its speedometer reads all the way to 342 mph (550 km/h). We're not 10 years old anymore, and we don't assume it can reach that speed, but we also know Bugatti won't put such a high number there if it can't get close. Fortunately, after the reveal of the Tourbillon, CEO Mate Rimac told Top Gear that there was more to come, although he wouldn't confirm an exact simulated speed.

Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut

Simulated Top Speed: 330.5 MPH

One of the major players in the hypercar world, Koenigsegg, is planning to attack the 300-mph target with the most speed-focused incarnation of the Jesko yet, the Absolut. CEO Christian von Koenigsegg has stated plans are in place to try and set a new speed record later this year, a run that will be completed with a customer-spec car and in two directions, something Bugatti didn't do in its previous 300-mph run. At this stage, the only thing standing in its way is tire certification.

The successor to the Agera, the Jesko was first introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Its name comes from Jesko von Koenigsegg, the father of the company’s founder and CEO. While the default variant of the car is called the Attack, the Absolut is the one that will be used for the top-speed attempt thanks to its low-drag design; thile the Attack has a rear wing, the Absolut has two rear fins, and the side winglets and front splitters sported by the Attack have also been removed in the Absolut. Between the incredible power outputs and the remarkably slippery body (0.278 Cd), von Koenigsegg told CarBuzz that CFD simulations propose a top speed of 330.5 mph is capable.

What Koenigsegg Has To Say About The Race To 300 mph

While Koenigsegg hasn't claimed where a record attempt will take place, we know the goal is to achieve it before the end of 2024. Importantly, Christian von Koenigsegg wants the record to take place with a production car, unlike some of his rivals.

SSC Tuatara

Recorded Top Speed: 295 mph

Shelby SuperCars, or SSC, also has a horse in the race with its Tuatara hypercar. Well, nearly two thousand horses, really: the Tuatara’s alleged power output is 1,350 hp on regular fuel and 1,750 hp on E85 fuel. Named after a New Zealand reptile with the fastest molecular evolution in the animal kingdom, the Tuatara was first launched in concept form at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, while the final production version arrived seven years later. Its design, created by ex-Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota, takes cues from the aviation industry, with sleek lines and an aerodynamic silhouette.

The Tuatara is powered by a 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 sourced from Nelson Racing Engines paired with a seven-speed automated manual transmission from CIMA - the same company supplying a manual transmission for the new NILU Hypercar. But even with bespoke components and all that horsepower, SSC's attempt at 300 mph was fraught with controversy.

Where SSC's 300-mph Run Went Wrong

In 2020, an initial attempt made the news when the company boasted it had shattered 330 mph in a single direction on the same stretch of Nevada highway where the Koenigsegg Agera RS had set the world's previous top-speed record. However, the truth later emerged: not only had the Tuatara not gone anywhere near 331 mph, it hadn’t reached 300 mph at all. The discrepancy between the reported and actual top speed was allegedly down to incorrect calculations, but CEO Jarrod Shelby vowed to make another attempt at the big 3-0-0.

A new attempt in 2022 resulted in the Tuatara inching closer to the promised land, with a recorded (and officially verified this time) top speed of 295 mph, with a customer behind the wheel. There hasn't been another attempt at 300 from SSC since, but Jarrod Shelby's statement after the original ordeal implied the Tuatara wouldn't go down without a fight. For that reason, we can't rule out another crack from the lesser-known American hypercar manufacturer.

2024-08-29T08:15:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd