The fastest production cars in the world

=8. Rimac Nevera – 258mph

If ever there was a car that put to bed the myth that electric cars are slow, it’s the Rimac Nevera. The Croatian hypercar has clocked 258mph, making it the joint fastest electric car in the world. It’s also the world’s fastest accelerating production car over the quarter mile (8.582sec), can accelerate from 0-62mph in 1.95sec and 0-100mph in 4.3sec. If there’s a caveat, it’s that customer cars are limited to ‘just’ 219mph, but Rimac can override this to achieve V-max at official Rimac events.

6. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport – 267.8mph

Not happy to have the record taken from it, and by an American car at that, Bugatti gave the Veyron a substantial overhaul in order to raise its top speed even further and have a new go at winning the title. The Veyron Super Sport was limited to just 30 cars, with each one seeing power output boosted to 1184bhp and aerodynamics overhauled to cope with the forces it would experience beyond 250mph. In July 2010, Bugatti test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel lapped the Ehra-Lessien oval at 267.856mph.

Used car buying guide: Bugatti Veyron (2005-2015)

5. Hennessey Venom GT – 270.4mph

American tuning house Hennessey Performance Engineering is no stranger to speed, having previously taken its Dodge Viper-based Venom beyond 215mph. It was the Venom GT, which used a Lotus Exige as its foundation, that would go on to steal the record from Bugatti – though not without controversy. In February 2014, on the 3.2-mile space shuttle landing runway at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, it recorded a one-way speed of 270.49mph. However, NASA wouldn’t let Hennessey attempt an opposite direction run, and so it didn’t qualify for an official Guinness World Record.

Hennessey Venom GT sets new top speed record

4. Hennessey Venom F5 – 271.6mph

Unlike its Lotus Elise-based predecessor, the Hennessey Venom F5 is a bespoke build from the ground up – a first for the Anglo American firm. Featuring a carbon-fibre tub and a  twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V8 that packs a monstrous 1817bhp and gearbox-shredding 1193lb ft, the F5 claims a to blast from 0-250mph in just 15.5 seconds, which the brand claims is half the time of a Bugatti Chiron. Hennessy also promises a top speed of 341mph, although 271.6mph is as fast as the car has gone so far.