From Benz to Koenigsegg: the history of the world speed record

Few believed it was even possible. However, on October 10, the SSC Tuatara not only managed to break the official world speed record of the Koenigsegg Agera RS (and the unofficial Bugatti Chiron), but also exceeded the staggering 500 kilometers per hour limit. What progress since the first record - 19 km / h, set by Benz Velo 126 years ago! The history of this record is also a history of progress and inspiration in the automotive industry, so it is worth remembering.

19 km / h – Benz Velo (1894)

The first production car, around 1200 units, is powered by a 1045 cc single-cylinder engine. cm and power ... one and a half horsepower.

200,5 km / h - Jaguar XK120 (1949)

The speed record improved many times between 1894 and 1949, but there are still no established rules for measuring and validating it.

The first modern achievement is the XK120, equipped with a 3,4-liter inline-six with a capacity of 162 horsepower. A specially tuned version even reaches 214 km / h, but the production car record is recorded in the form of a record.

242,5 km / h – Mercedes-Benz 300SL (1958)

Testing was carried out by Automobil Revue on a production vehicle with a 215 horsepower XNUMX-liter inline-six engine.

245 km/h - Aston Martin DB4 GT (1959)

The DB 4 GT is powered by a 3670-cylinder 306 cc engine. km and a capacity of XNUMX horsepower.

259 km/h – Iso Grifo GL 365 (1963)

Even the company that made this iconic Italian sports car has long since ceased to exist. But the achievement remains, recorded in the test by Autocar magazine. The GL has a 5,4-liter V8 with 365 horsepower.

266 км/ч – AC Cobra Mk III 427 (1965)

American Test by Car & Driver. Under the hood of the third version of the Cobra, a 7-liter V8 with 492 horsepower is installed.

275 km / h - Lamborghini Miura P400 (1967)

The first supercar in history has a 12-liter V3,9 engine and a maximum output of 355 horsepower.

280 km / h - Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 Daytona (1968)

Again a private test hosted by Autocar. The Daytona has a 4,4-liter V12 engine producing 357 horsepower.

288,6 km/h – Lamborghini Miura P400S (1969)

Ferruccio Lamborghini wants to have the last word in the war with Enzo Ferrari. The record for the S version of the Miura (with a maximum output of 375 horsepower) will be maintained for 13 years before being improved by another Lamborghini.

293 km / h - Lamborghini Countach LP500 S (1982)

Test of the German edition of AMS. This most powerful Countach is powered by a 4,75-liter V12 engine producing 380 horsepower.

305 km/h - Ruf BTR (1983)

This creation by Alois Ruf, produced in about 30 copies, is the first "production" car to officially cross the 300-kilometer mark. It is powered by a turbocharged 6-cylinder boxer engine with 374 horsepower.

319 km/h – Porsche 959 (1986)

Porsche's first true twin-turbo supercar with a maximum output of 450 horsepower. In 1988, a more advanced version of it hit 339 km / h - but then it was no longer a world record, as you will see.

342 km / h - Ruf CTR (1987)

Known as the Yellowbird, this heavily modified version of Roof's Porsche, known as the Yellowbird, has 469 horsepower and is a record on the Nardo circuit.

355 km / h - McLaren F1 (1993)

The first hypercar of the 90s has a 6-liter V12 engine producing 627 horsepower. The record was set by Car and Driver, who, however, claim that when the speed limiter is deactivated, the car can reach speeds of up to 386 km / h.

387,87 km/h – Koenigsegg CCR (2005)

Even with the rapid development of technology, it took ten years for the McLaren F1 record to fall. This is achieved by the Swedish CCR hypercar, powered by a 4,7-liter V8 engine with two compressors and 817 horsepower.

408,47 km/h – Bugatti Veyron EB (2005)

The joy of the Swedes lasted only 6 weeks before the finally realized obsession of Ferdinand Piech appeared on the scene. Veyron is the first mass-produced car with a maximum output of over 1000 horsepower - actually 1001, derived from an 8-liter W16 with four turbochargers.

412,28 км/ч – SSC Ultimate Aero TT (2007)

The record was set on a regular highway near Seattle (temporarily closed to traffic, of course) and confirmed by Guinness. The car is powered by a 6,3-liter V8 with a compressor and 1199 horsepower.

431,07 km / ч – Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport (2010)

One of 30 "honed" versions of the Veyron released, the power of which is increased to 1199 horsepower. The record was confirmed by Guinness.

447,19 km/h – Koenigsegg Agera RS (2017)

The base Agera RS has a power of 865 kilowatts or 1176 horsepower. However, the company also produced 11 1 megawatt cars - 1400 horses. It was with one of them that Niklas Lily set the current official world record in November 2017.

508,73 km / ч – SSC Tuatara

With driver Oliver Webb behind the wheel, the Tuatara reached a top speed of 484,53 km / h on the first try and a staggering 532,93 km / h on the second. Thus, according to the regulations of world records, an average result of 508,73 km / h was recorded.

Unofficial records

The 490 kilometers per hour Bugatti Chiron from the fall of 2019 tops a long list of very real achievements, but not recognized in the books of records. It includes cars such as the Maserati 5000 GT, Ferrari 288 GTO, Vector W8, Jaguar XJ220 and Hennessey Venom GT.