Image via WikipediaThe first car to break the 200 mile per hour (327.97km/h) record was the legendary Sunbeam 1000HP, driven by Henry Segrave back in 1923. Currently, the land-speed record is held by the Team Thrust Super Sonic Car - its speedometer reaching a supersonic 1223.657 km/h (760.343 mph).
“Conventional” cars, even if they are, technically, super cars, are far behind these jet powered speeds. The world's current fastest sports car is the new Veyron 16.4 Super Sport version, which clocked in at a truly impressive 431.07km/h (267.85 mph) on July 10, 2010. With this, it took back its crown as fastest production car on the planet from the brief reign of the American SSC Ultimate Aero TT.
The McLaren F1 is one of the world's most coveted sports cars; its elegant and aggressive styling capturing the hearts of motoring enthusiasts. It has a top speed of 240 mph, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and is powered by a BMW S70/2 60 Degree V12 Engine with 627 hp. Some would say that in many ways the F1 raised the bar and set the challenge for all other sports cars to meet. It is certainly true that some 20 years after it was first unveiled, it remains every bit as impressive as it did back in 1992.
Lately, the sports car market has seen a whole host of new names enter the field. Most famously, the resurrected Bugatti brand itself is now a subsidiary of Volkswagen. The competition is strong, with companies such as Koenigsegg, Saleen and SSC all recent entrants to the market and muscling in on what used to be the territory of Ferrari and Mercedes. The fact that these marquee brands are able to survive shows just how lucrative the fast car market is, capturing the imagination of motorists world-wide.
What all these fast cars have in common is not just jaw-dropping maximum speeds and sublime styling but also price tags that are as astronomical as their speed. On average, for a super car such as the Ultimate Aero or Koenigsegg CCX, you can expect a price tag in excess of $500,000, whilst the Bugatti Veyron retails for $1,700,000 and that's just the base price! Alloy trims will be a costly extra and when one considers the cost of a tyre replacement runs in at $70,000, you might shudder to think how much a windshield repair could set you back.
Isla Campbell writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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