The greatest hypercars of all time

We look at the past, present and future of the fastest production cars on the planet

Autocar

20 January 2022

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The hypercar world is about to get even more exciting.

The field used to be dominated by conventionally-powered, monstrously powerful machines but that’s all about to change. New all-electric models are starting to arrive, and some of them promise astonishing acceleration and even in some cases, absolute top speeds as well.

High time then to take a look at the hypercar story from the start, starting with the car that started it all…
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Porsche 959 (1986)

It was the world’s most technologically advanced car when it arrived in 1986, but numerous delays meant that the Group B series in which it was supposed to compete, had been banned by the time the 959 arrived.

Flat out it couldn’t quite manage the double ton (197mph was the top speed), but with its four-wheel drive, twin-turbo flat-six and limited production run (337 were built) we’d say the 959 is more than worthy a kick-off for this this story.
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Ferrari F40 (1987)

Ferrari claimed that the F40 was capable of 201mph, making it the first production car capable of topping the double ton. In period nobody independent of Ferrari got it above 199mph – but it’s such a bonkers car with its twin-turbo 485hp V8 that we’re letting it into our hypercars club anyway.

Because let’s face it, you would, wouldn’t you? The last car founder Enzo Ferrari signed off before his death in 1988.
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Ruf CTR (1987)

As an independent manufacturer, Ruf isn’t classed as merely a tuner and for a while its CTR “yellowbird’ was the world’s fastest car with its 211mph top speed. The Porsche flat-six was enlarged to 3,367cc and boosted by twin turbos to give a conservative 476hp along with 408 lb-ft of torque – enough to take the CTR from 0-62mph in just 3.65 seconds.
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Vector W8 (1989)

Gerry Wiegert founded Vehicle Design Force in 1978, the same year in which he showed his first (non-running) prototype. It would be another decade before his first car was ready for sale (the W8) and while the claims were bonkers we’ve included it here because it was such an iconic machine at the time.

Wiegert claimed vital statistics were 634hp and 242mph; all these years on he’s still at it.
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Bugatti EB110 (1991)

Nobody could accuse Romano Artioli of being short of ambition when he relaunched the Bugatti brand in 1991. The result was the quad-turbo V12-engined EB110 which boasted 558hp in standard form or 612hp in Supersport guise; the latter could achieve a claimed 216mph. Just 139 EB110s were built before the company went bankrupt in 1995.
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Jaguar XJ220 (1992)

Shown in concept form with a V12 engine and four-wheel drive, by the time the production car appeared it featured a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and rear-wheel drive.

Buyers sued and a murderous recession did nothing for sales but the 547hp XJ220 was still capable of 217mph, making it the world’s fastest production car when it went on sale.
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McLaren F1 (1994)

Even more exclusive than it was initially intended to be, the F1 was the first and last hypercar of its kind. Lighter and much less complex than most of the breed, just 106 examples of the F1 were built, including racers.

Its BMW-sourced V12 was rated at 636hp to give a 240mph top speed. That’s impressive now, but in 1994 it was just insane.
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Ferrari F50 (1995)

After the twin-turbo V8 F40, the naturally aspirated V12 F50 was far more civilised, and much rarer too. Just 349 were made, compared with 1311 F40s. Ferrari claimed 202mph and 0-100mph in just 8.5 seconds, courtesy of the 520hp V12.
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Pagani Zonda (1999)

It’s not often that a car maker changes the landscape with its first product, but that’s exactly what Pagani achieved with the Zonda. Between 1999 and 2011 there was a bewildering array of variations on the Zonda theme, all made in tiny numbers.

Fruitiest of the regular models were the 760 series built for special clients, each car featuring a 760hp 7.3-liter V12. Top speed was 185mph.
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Ultima GTR (1999)

The Briton Lee Noble set up shop in 1983 building the Ultima. Back then it was fitted with a Renault 30 engine and gearbox but by 1999 things had progressed. Ted Marlow had taken over the company and he launched the GTR complete with a Chevrolet V8 offering up to 1000hp.

With a kerb weight of just 2178 lb, performance was always going to be exhilarating; how does 231mph and 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds grab you?
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Spyker C8 (2000)

Considering how few cars it’s made, the number of C8 derivatives that Spyker has offered is utterly baffling. All feature an Audi-derived 4.2-liter V8, usually in twin-turbo form to give around 200mph. Whether or not it should be on this list is debatable, but it’s an intriguing machine so it can stay.
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Lamborghini Murcielago (2001)

With even the basic 580hp Murcielago capable of 206mph, this V12 monster is definitely worthy of the hypercar tag – never mind the sexed-up editions that came later such as the 211mph LP 640-4 or the 214mph LP 670-4 SV.
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Ferrari Enzo (2002)

The first production car to be fitted with ceramic brakes, the 669hp Enzo featured a normally aspirated 6.0-liter V12 and was developed with plenty of input from Michael Schumacher. Just 400 were made, each one capable of 0-100mph in 6.6 seconds with a top speed of around 220mph.
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Ascari KZ1 (2003)

With its BMW-sourced 4941cc V8 tuned to give a mere 507hp, the Ascari KZ1 might seem like small fry compared with some of the cars here, but it could manage 201mph along with 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds, and in 2003 when it arrived, that was pretty swift. Later came an evolution of the KZ1 – the 634hp A10.
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Porsche Carrera GT (2003)

Most of the cars here were sold out before the first production example was even built, but the Carrera GT was unusual in that Porsche set a limit of 1,500 examples and pulled the plug after just 1,270 had been made.

In the middle was a 611hp 5.7-liter V10 that gave an official top speed of 205mph along with 0-124mph in just 9.25 seconds.
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Bristol Fighter T (2004)

Just nine examples of the 532hp Bristol Fighter were built, each featuring a tweaked 8.0-liter V10 appropriated from a Dodge Viper; the car was claimed to be capable of 210mph.

A 637hp Fighter S was also offered, while a 1026hp 225mph Fighter T was announced in 2006, but none of these were built before Bristol shut up shop in 2011.
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Maserati MC12 (2004)

Ferrari Enzo too common for you? Then how about its cousins , a Maserati MC12? Much more exclusive with just 50 cars built, the MC12 shared its 6.0-liter V12 with the Enzo.

Tuned to give 629hp the Maser wasn’t quite as quick as the Ferrari, but with a 205mph top speed and the ability to do 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds it wasn’t unbearably slow.
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Bugatti Veyron (2005)

Until the arrival of the Veyron in 2005, 220mph was an impressive top speed for a hypercar. Then this 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16-engined machine appeared with its 253mph vmax and threw everything into disarray.

And just in case this wasn’t extreme enough, the 1200hp Super Sport arrived in 2010 with a 268mph verified top speed.
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Gumpert Apollo (2005)

It’s already 15 years years since the Gumpert Apollo arrived, with its twin-turbo Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V8. Gumpert claimed up to 700hp and a top speed of around 220mph, but disaster struck in 2014 when the company filed for bankruptcy.
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Saleen S7 (2005)

Engineered in the UK but named after American company founder Steve Saleen (best known for his tuned Mustangs), the S7 was fitted with a twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 tuned to give 760hp and a claimed 248mph.

Possibly all pie in the sky but who cares? The S7 looked sensational, was undoubtedly ludicrously quick and seriously exclusive too.
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Koenigsegg CCX (2006)

You’ll be doing well to keep up with Koenigsegg’s back catalog, it’s so convoluted. The original CC prototype morphed into the CC8S which became the CCR then the CCGT.

After this came the CCX which was by far the most widely produced model; a massive 29 units were built. All were capable of around 240mph; the CCX was claimed to be able to achieve 245mph thanks to its 806hp twin-supercharged 4.7-liter V8.
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SSC Ultimate Aero (2006)

Shelby Supercars put the cat among the pigeons when its Ultimate Aero TT scooped the Guinness World Record in 2006, for the world’s fastest production car, at 256mph.

That was faster than the Veyron, which is why Bugatti retaliated with the 268mph Super Sport. The Ultimate Aero TT was fitted with a 1200hp 6345cc V8 borrowed from a Corvette C5.

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