There is considerable debate as to what qualifies as the world's fastest production car. The Guinness Book of World Records gives the title to the SSC Ultimate Aero, which, according to Business Week, "posted 257.41 mph on the first pass and 254.88 mph on the second for an average of 256.18 mph" in a two-pass test in 2007.
Automobile Magazine reports that the Maxximus G-Force "claims to be the world's fastest street-legal car. Its title comes from the World Record Academy, although we're not sure how their declaration was verified." It's also tough to count the G-Force as a production car - only one has ever been built and it's not clear that it's been certified as street-legal anywhere in the world.
Someone needs to resolve this thing. Apparently, Bugatti will try. The Bugatti Veyron, which itself claimed the title in 2005, has nearly reached the end of its production run. The company is now rumored to be building a more powerful replacement.
Autoblog reports, "Bugatti is said to be preparing an altogether new car that will be unveiled in September. Details are scarce at this point, but keen to stay ahead of the competition, Bugatti is said to be considering several options that would, figuratively speaking, fit into the same mold as the Veyron. That means another seven-figure, record-beating supercar, likely with an even more powerful version of the Veyron's thousand-horsepower, quad-turbo W16 engine. With Veyron production winding to a close, we could see a concept version of its successor at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show after the summer break, with the next Bugatti hitting the market in 2011 or 2012.
Jalopnik notes that Bugatti isn't necessarily building a Veyron replacement. "As rumors go, details are lacking, but we've heard that Bugatti has several different options on the table, ranging from a hyper-luxury sedan to sink the Rolls Royce Phantom or an even more exclusive, more powerful hyper-exotic in the same vein as the Veyron or even a luxurious coupe follow up to the timeless Atlantique."
But rumors of a more powerful car have swirled for some time. Automobile Magazine reported last month that Bugatti would be "bringing a 1350 -hp version of the Veyron, supposedly called the ‘Centenaire Edition,' to the 2009 Geneva Motor Show," but that car never appeared. Could the 1,350-hp engine Bugatti was supposedly building, in fact, have been destined for another car entirely - one to reclaim the speed throne?
source: usnews.rankingsandreviews
