The 300mph barrier was only broken by a production car just last year, when the Bugatti Chiron hit 304.77mph at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. But now American specialist SSC - a previous holder of the title - has stepped up with its Tuatara hypercar (pictured), making an official top speed of 316mph recorded recently on a stretch of freeway outside Las Vegas.

Time, then, to take a look at all the fastest productoon cars there's ever been. Autocar has driven nearly all of these cars, so we’ll throw in our driving observations along the journey:

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