A
Auto Express
Guest
In the past, if you wanted a fast car, you'd need something expensive and rare that could hit 200mph. But with the Koenigsegg Agera RS clocking 277.9mph to be the fastest road car on sale in 2019, 200mph is merely seen as just another figure to pass on the way to truly astronomical speeds.
The Agera RS is the latest in a long line of speed machines to set a new record. It added another 20mph to the top speed in 2017, replacing the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which set its figure in 2010 at the top of the hypercar tree. Before that, there was the US-built SSC Ultimate Aero (256mph), the standard Veyron (254mph), the Koenigsegg CCR (241mph) and the legendary McLaren F1 (240mph). Bugatti deserves another mention for breaking the 300mph barrier in a modified prototype Chiron in 2019 with a timed run of 304.774mph at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany.
Amazingly, it took 11 years for anybody to come along and beat the F1's record, which was set in 1993. And even today, these five former record holders are still fast enough to make the 2019 top 10, if they were still being built.
The fastest cars on this list are expensive, with seven-figure sums required to buy most of them, and plenty to be put aside for everyday running costs, too. However, access to a production car that can go faster than 200mph is easier than it's ever been. You'll still need a decent amount of cash to buy one, but with more makers offering 200mph cars than ever, the choice is yours if you're in the lucky position to be buying.
Using 200mph as the benchmark by which the UK's fastest cars are judged, then there are three Brits that just break into the club, namely the Aston Martin DB11 V12, and two Jaguars: the F-Type SVR Coupe and limited-run XE Project 8. At £113,000 the F-Type is the least expensive of the three, but it's not the cheapest 200mph car on sale in the UK. That accolade goes to the £89,000 Alpina B5 saloon, which can hit 205mph. Even the B5 Touring estate can manage 202mph, and it only has a £2,000 premium over the four-door.
There are a few convertibles capable of more than 200mph, although they achieve this with the roof up. The Lamborghini Huracan Spyder (201mph) and Ferrari 488 Spider (202mph) are drop-top versions of even faster coupes, while the Audi R8 V10 plus Spyder and McLaren 570 Spider are joint holders of the title the fastest convertible on sale in the UK, both with a claimed top speed of 204mph.
Another strand of the 200mph club is the luxury grand tourer. These cars achieve high speeds without stripping back the luxuries, and it's the Brits that again lead the way. Aston Martin and Bentley duke it out with their four-door Rapide (203mph) and Flying Spur S (202mph) models, while the new Bentley Continental GT manages 207mph, one click behind the updated DB11 AMR. You could also factor in Alpina's other rapid model, the 7 Series-based B7 (205mph), while the Porsche 911 Turbo S is a surprisingly capable all-rounder that can also hit 205mph. And if you need a four-seat Ferrari that can hit 208mph, then the V12 version of the GTC4 Lusso is for you.
Most other 200mph cars are two-seater sports cars, either mid or front engined, unless it's a Porsche 911. The Lamborghini Huracan manages 202mph in 610-4 (4WD) guise, while the rest of the McLaren 570 range (S and GT) matches the Spider with a 204mph top speed. The Audi R8 V10 Plus coupe hits 205mph, and so does the Ferrari 488 in both GTB and hardcore Pista guises.
One question you might ask is where the big German manufacturers are? If Alpina is building BMW-based 200mph estates, then surely BMW itself should be in on the act, too? Well the German 'big three' of Audi, BMW and Mercedes are bound by a voluntary agreement to electronically limit their cars to 155mph (250kph). There are raised limiters offered as an option (usually 186mph, or 300kph) on many of their cars, but with the exception of the R8, no car from any of these firms is ever fully derestricted from the factory.
If you want to break 210mph, then it's going to cost at least as much in thousands of pounds. The new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera manages 211mph and costs £225,000, while the Ferrari 812 Superfast also clocks 211mph for around £40k more. The other car on sale in the UK that manages 211mph is the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. This has an on-the-road price around £208,000, so it's a relative bargain, if you can get your hands on one.
But with 'only' 211mph on the clock, this trio is about to be left behind by our top 10...
Top 10 fastest road cars 2020
Continue reading...
The Agera RS is the latest in a long line of speed machines to set a new record. It added another 20mph to the top speed in 2017, replacing the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which set its figure in 2010 at the top of the hypercar tree. Before that, there was the US-built SSC Ultimate Aero (256mph), the standard Veyron (254mph), the Koenigsegg CCR (241mph) and the legendary McLaren F1 (240mph). Bugatti deserves another mention for breaking the 300mph barrier in a modified prototype Chiron in 2019 with a timed run of 304.774mph at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany.
Amazingly, it took 11 years for anybody to come along and beat the F1's record, which was set in 1993. And even today, these five former record holders are still fast enough to make the 2019 top 10, if they were still being built.
The fastest cars on this list are expensive, with seven-figure sums required to buy most of them, and plenty to be put aside for everyday running costs, too. However, access to a production car that can go faster than 200mph is easier than it's ever been. You'll still need a decent amount of cash to buy one, but with more makers offering 200mph cars than ever, the choice is yours if you're in the lucky position to be buying.
Using 200mph as the benchmark by which the UK's fastest cars are judged, then there are three Brits that just break into the club, namely the Aston Martin DB11 V12, and two Jaguars: the F-Type SVR Coupe and limited-run XE Project 8. At £113,000 the F-Type is the least expensive of the three, but it's not the cheapest 200mph car on sale in the UK. That accolade goes to the £89,000 Alpina B5 saloon, which can hit 205mph. Even the B5 Touring estate can manage 202mph, and it only has a £2,000 premium over the four-door.
There are a few convertibles capable of more than 200mph, although they achieve this with the roof up. The Lamborghini Huracan Spyder (201mph) and Ferrari 488 Spider (202mph) are drop-top versions of even faster coupes, while the Audi R8 V10 plus Spyder and McLaren 570 Spider are joint holders of the title the fastest convertible on sale in the UK, both with a claimed top speed of 204mph.
Another strand of the 200mph club is the luxury grand tourer. These cars achieve high speeds without stripping back the luxuries, and it's the Brits that again lead the way. Aston Martin and Bentley duke it out with their four-door Rapide (203mph) and Flying Spur S (202mph) models, while the new Bentley Continental GT manages 207mph, one click behind the updated DB11 AMR. You could also factor in Alpina's other rapid model, the 7 Series-based B7 (205mph), while the Porsche 911 Turbo S is a surprisingly capable all-rounder that can also hit 205mph. And if you need a four-seat Ferrari that can hit 208mph, then the V12 version of the GTC4 Lusso is for you.
Most other 200mph cars are two-seater sports cars, either mid or front engined, unless it's a Porsche 911. The Lamborghini Huracan manages 202mph in 610-4 (4WD) guise, while the rest of the McLaren 570 range (S and GT) matches the Spider with a 204mph top speed. The Audi R8 V10 Plus coupe hits 205mph, and so does the Ferrari 488 in both GTB and hardcore Pista guises.
One question you might ask is where the big German manufacturers are? If Alpina is building BMW-based 200mph estates, then surely BMW itself should be in on the act, too? Well the German 'big three' of Audi, BMW and Mercedes are bound by a voluntary agreement to electronically limit their cars to 155mph (250kph). There are raised limiters offered as an option (usually 186mph, or 300kph) on many of their cars, but with the exception of the R8, no car from any of these firms is ever fully derestricted from the factory.
If you want to break 210mph, then it's going to cost at least as much in thousands of pounds. The new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera manages 211mph and costs £225,000, while the Ferrari 812 Superfast also clocks 211mph for around £40k more. The other car on sale in the UK that manages 211mph is the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. This has an on-the-road price around £208,000, so it's a relative bargain, if you can get your hands on one.
But with 'only' 211mph on the clock, this trio is about to be left behind by our top 10...
Top 10 fastest road cars 2020
- Bugatti Chiron SuperSport
- Koenigsegg Agera RS
- Hennessey Venom GT
- W Motors Fenyr SuperSport
- Pagani Huayra
- Zenvo TS1 GT
- Noble M600
- Lamborghini Aventador S
- Ford GT
- McLaren 720S
Continue reading...