List of production car speed records


This is a list of the world's record-breaking top speeds achieved by street-legal production cars. For the purposes of this list eligible cars are defined in the below list of rules. This list uses a different definition to the List of automotive superlatives. The variation is because the term production car is otherwise undefined.

List rules

Because of the inconsistencies with the various definitions of production cars, dubious claims by manufacturers and self-interest groups, and inconsistent or changing application of the definitions this list has a defined set of requirements. For further explanation of how these were arrived at see the talk pages of both this article and the above link. After the Koenigsegg Agera RS was found not eligible for this list since only 11 cars had engines rated higher than 865 kW, the former 25 car minimum was dropped and replaced with new rules based on suggestions by Koenigsegg PR manager Steven Wade.

Post 1945 and over only

This list is also limited to post World War II production road cars which reached more than, older cars are excluded even if they were faster. The Benz Velo as the first petrol driven car is the only exception.

Production car definition

For the purposes of this list, a production car is defined as a vehicle that is:
  1. Constructed principally for retail sale to consumers, for their personal use, to transport people on public roads
  2. Available for commercial sale to the public in the same specification as the vehicle used to achieve the record
  3. Manufactured in the record-claiming specification by a manufacturer whose WMI number is shown on the VIN, including vehicles that are modified by either professional tuners or others that result in a VIN with a WMI number in their name
  4. Pre-1981 vehicles must be made by the original vehicle manufacturer and not modified by either professional tuners or individuals
  5. Street-legal in its intended markets, having fulfilled the homologation tests or inspections required under either a) United States of America, b) European Union, or c) Japanese law to be granted this status
  6. Sold in more than one national market.

    Measurement of top speed

To establish the top speed for cars the requirement is, in addition to the above, an independent road test with a two-way run. The mean of the top speed for both runs is taken as the car's top speed. In instances where the top speed has been determined by removing the limiter, the test met these requirements, and the car is sold with the limiter on then the limited speed is accepted as meeting this requirement. For the McLaren F1 the estimation by Car and Driver about the speed at the rev-limiter is used.

Record-breaking production vehicles

YearMake and modelTop speedEngineNumber builtComment
1894Benz Velo single-cylinder 1,200First production car
1949Jaguar XK120 inline-6 12,061Some publications cite the XK120's timed top speed as almost in 1949. The XK120 that achieved this speed had a tonneau over the passenger seat and an aero screen fitted. When in completely standard form, the car reached when tested by Motor.
1955Mercedes-Benz 300 SL inline-6 1,400Two-way average speed tested by Automobil Revue in 1958. reached in one direction.
1959Aston Martin DB4 GT inline-6 75Tested by Autosport in December 1961.
1960Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato inline-6 19Tested by Autocar in April 1962.
1963Iso Grifo GL 365 V8 over 400Tested by Autocar in 1966. A total of 412 Iso Grifos were built 1963–1974.
1965AC Cobra Mk III 427 V8 >25Tested by Car & Driver. Top speed described as observed.
1967Lamborghini Miura P400 V12 275Tested by Motor in June 1967. Over 750 units built in 1966–1973 period, which includes P400, P400 S and P400 SV models.
1968Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona V12 1,406Tested by Autocar in 1971.
1969Lamborghini Miura P400S V12 338Tested by Sport Auto in 1970.
1982Lamborghini Countach LP500 S V12 321Tested by Auto, Motor und Sport.
1983Ruf BTR turbocharged flat-6 about
20–30
Tested by Auto, Motor und Sport, about 20-30 built with Ruf VIN.
1986Porsche 959 twin-turbocharged flat-6 292Tested by Road & Track in 1987. The 959 Deluxe version attained, the Sport version. 29 were built in a performance-enhanced sports version which reached tested by Auto, Motor und Sport at Nardo in 1988.
1987Ruf CTR twin-turbocharged flat-6 29Tested by Auto, Motor und Sport at Nardò Ring in 1988.
1992McLaren F1 BMW S70/2 60° V12 64Some publications cite the F1's timed top speed as. This speed was achieved by a modified F1 with the rev limiter raised from 7500 rpm to 8300 rpm, not a production car. The F1 in an unmodified state is gear limited at.
1993Dauer 962 Le Mans twin-turbocharged flat-6 ≥10Independently measured at Ehra-Lessien in November 1998.
2005Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 quad-turbocharged W16 252Recorded and verified by German inspection officials on 19 April 2005.
2007SSC Ultimate Aero412.22 km/h
twin-turbocharged V8 24Inspected and verified by Guinness World Records on 9 October 2007.
2010Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport quad-turbocharged W16 48Out of the initial production run of 30 cars, 5 were named the Super Sport World Record Edition, which had the same electronic limiter as the other 25but turned off. Pierre-Henri Raphanel drove the unlimited Super Sport World Record Edition to a two-way average, verified by Guinness World Records. When sold, the electronic limiters were re-activated, limiting them to the same as the entire production run.
2017Koenigsegg Agera RS twin-turbocharged V8 25The base engine is rated at, 11 cars were factory specced with the option. Niklas Lilja drove the 1 MW Agera RS to a top speed of, independently verified by Racelogic.
2021SSC Tuatara twin-turbocharged V8 when on E85 fuel100When on regular fuel, has.
It achieved the top speed on 17 January 2021.

Difficulties with claims

Comparing claimed speeds of the fastest production cars in the world, especially in historical cases, is difficult as there is no standardized method for determining the top speed and no central authority to verify any such claims. Examples of the difficulties faced were highlighted in a two-week long dispute regarding Bugatti's record set in 2010, and Hennessey's 2013 claim that their own top speed runslower than Bugatti's, lacking the required two-way average, and lacking the minimum 25 car production runwas the real record, due to an issue regarding electronic limiters.

Bugatti Veyron limiter removal

On 4 July 2010, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport reached for a two-way average. Bugatti built 30 identical Super Sports, with 5 of them named World Record Edition. All 30 were equipped with electronic limiters, but the World Record Edition had their limiters turned off for the record attempt. After the record run, all five had their electronic limiters reactivated, so that the entire production run was delivered to customers with a limit of. Guinness Book of Records, which had listed speeds by British cars with modified rev. limiter as production car records in the 1990s, listed the unlimited as the production car speed record.
In April 2013, following a press release claiming the record for the Hennessey Venom GT due to the electronic limiter issue, The Sunday Times quoted Guinness public relations director Jaime Strang as saying: "As the car's speed limiter was deactivated, this modification was against the official guidelines. Consequently, the vehicle's record set at is no longer valid." Five days later, Guinness World Records officially posted on its website that it: "...would like to confirm that Bugatti's record has not been disqualified; the record category is currently under review." Five days later Bugatti's speed record was confirmed: "Following a thorough review conducted with a number of external experts, Guinness World Records is pleased to announce the confirmation of Bugatti's record of Fastest production car achieved by the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. The focus of the review was with respect to what may constitute a modification to a car's standard specification. Having evaluated all the necessary information, Guinness World Records is now satisfied that a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine."

Cars excluded from the list

Some cars were not considered to be the fastest production vehicles, for various reasons. Here is a list of some well-known cars that have not been able to meet standards needed to be the fastest production car.
YearMake and modelTop speedEngineNumber builtComment
1953Pegaso Z-102 V8 84250 hp supercharged variant. Tested by Belgian Automobile club, at Belgium's Jabbeke highway, but the results are not officially recognized worldwide. Classic Car commented that the Z-102 tested was a proto-type.
1959Maserati 5000 GT V8 2No accurate measurement and only the first two cars had the engine, 22 cars had coachwork by Allemano, 12 by 7 other companies
1959Maserati 5000 GT V8 32No accurate measurement and only the first two cars had the engine, 22 cars had coachwork by Allemano, 12 by 7 other companies
1985Lamborghini Countach 5000QV V12 610Tested by Auto, Motor und Sport. The car which was tested by Fast Lane in 1986 and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records 1988 had a factory modified airbox.
1990Vector W8 for prototype twin-turbocharged V8 17 production modelsNo verified top speed for production model, claimed.
1992Jaguar XJ220 twin-turbocharged V6 281Tested by Road & Track. The Guinness World Records speed was measured by Jaguar one-way without independent control with a car modified for about 50 extra horsepower, the claims were also factory measured without independent control.
2004Koenigsegg CCR twin-supercharged V8 14Recorded at the Nardò Ring testing facility on 28 February 2005. Excluded from the list due to being a single directional run.
2014Hennessey Venom GT twin-turbocharged V8 13Single direction top speed test run in 2014 and no Hennessey VIN.
2019Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ quad-turbocharged W16 100-110On 2 August 2019, Andy Wallace achieved a maximum of in a pre-production prototype at Ehra-Lessien, which was verified by TÜV. The production version has the same bodywork, engine and gearbox but no roll cage, different seats, ride height and an electronically limited top speed of. Excluded from the list because it was a unidirectional top speed run.
2025Yangwang U9 XtremeFour TZ240XYA electric motors Production limited up to 30 units for global marketsA prototype achieved this top speed on 20 September 2025. Excluded from the list due to being a unidirectional run.